Bethlehem to dedicate organ, pianos

By Tom Hintgen (Contact) | The Daily Journal

Published Friday, April 11, 2008

Sunday will be a special day for the congregation of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Fergus Falls, when members dedicate the completion of the Moller pipe organ project and the investment in a piano for the balcony and grand piano near the altar. The dedications will take place during the 8:30 and 10:45 a.m. worship services.

“For the past year our focus has been on what we at Bethlehem Lutheran refer to as Project Joyful Noise,” the Rev. Paul Nelson said. “Honoring our past and providing relevant tools for music ministry is what our year-long focus was all about.”

He explained that noise to one person can be music to another.

“In church, as we worship, people find their own ways to sing and make sounds of praise. We’ve come to understand that the power of music in worship is unique to each of us.”

Joining in the dedication services on Sunday will be Bishop Larry Wohlrabe, regional pastor of the Northwest Minnesota Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA). He resides in Moorhead.

The 8:30 a.m. service is traditional and the 10:45 a.m. service is contemporary worship, including drums and guitars. All individuals involved with music at Bethlehem Lutheran are expected to take part in the dedication on Sunday.

“We’ll be using all instruments at the dedication services,” Nelson said.

“This is a new age with the use of portable keyboard, percussion instruments, organ, stringed instruments, brass and pianos.”

Carol Andstrom, organist at Bethlehem Lutheran the past 25 years, feels honored to be at the console of the historic Moller Pipe Organ that was rebuilt by Fergus Falls native Lance Johnson and his assistants.

Members of the congregation donated generously to Project Joyful Noise, and after one year most of the bills are paid. David Nycklemoe chaired the steering committee and Nathan Johnson headed the public fund campaign.

“Our entire congregation deserves credit for making this one-year project a success,” Nelson said. “Each member realized the need for us to provide new ways — and musical instruments — to reach members of our congregation in worship.”

The Bethlehem Church music project included installation of 1,496 pipes. Many sets of pipes were retained from the 100-year-old Moller.

The Moller organ, built in 1906 for the First Reformed Church of Easton, Pa., was later purchased by Bethlehem Lutheran in 1951. The old church organ was sold to Rock Prairie Lutheran Church in 1952.

“The Bethlehem organ was originally covered by a heavy, velvet curtain,” Fergus Falls native Johnson said. “We moved the organ to the balcony in 1962-63, while I was an organ major at Concordia College. Many new parts were included.”

Johnson said the latest Bethlehem pipe organ project was the most complex installation in his firm’s 53-year history — because of floor levels and the unusual ceiling shape.

Michael Olson, Minister of Music at First Lutheran Church, Fargo, will hold an organ recital at 2 p.m., April 20, at Bethlehem Lutheran, Fergus Falls.