The congregation of a Vallonia church plans to highlight the recent restoration of its pipe organ during a special Reformation/Thanksgiving festival of hymns service at 2 p.m. Sunday.

Restoration of Trinity Lutheran Church’s pipe organ, originally installed in 1938, began June 20. Goulding & Wood Inc. of Indianapolis was contracted to perform the restoration work. Bohn Organ Co. in Fort Wayne built the organ.

During the restoration process, all pipes were removed from the organ chest. All of the wooden pipes were then transported to the Goulding & Wood workshop to be refurbished. Those pipes were cleaned, and new leather was installed on each of the stoppers.

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Also, all Gamba pipes were removed and cleaned. Seven of those pipes were transported to Indianapolis to be subcontracted to a pipemaker for repairs. The feet of these pipes were collapsing due to aging.

The organ’s pipe chest was thoroughly cleaned and polished. After cleaning the remaining pipes, each was returned to its original position in the pipe chest.

On July 13, 2017, tradesmen from Goulding & Wood reinstalled the refurbished wooden pipes and the seven repaired Gamba pipes. The organ then was completely tuned to A-440.

Goulding & Wood was established in 1960 as a collaboration between John Goulding and Thomas Wood. Recently, the company built and installed a new console to an existing organ in a church on Fifth Avenue in New York City.

Pastor Jordan J. McKinley will officiate during Sunday’s Thanksgiving for 500 Years of God’s Grace service at the church at 4413 S. State Road 135. The organist is Monica A. Doty.

The public is invited to attend.

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What: Thanksgiving for 500 Years of God’s Grace service

When: 2 p.m. Sunday

Where: Trinity Lutheran Church, 4413 S. State Road 135, Vallonia

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