Paulin Memorial Presbyterian Church installs massive pipe organ at cost of $75K

A church in south Windsor has added nearly 1,800 pipes to its organ.

The Paulin Memorial Presbyterian Church in south Windsor will hold a special dedication ceremony this Saturday for a massive pipe organ it got from a church in Mitchell, Ont.

It's an instrument many churches have ditched in recent years. But the congregation at Paulin Memorial decided it was time for an upgrade.

Organist and choir director, Dale Burkholder, said the church's old organ had nine different sounds on it.

"This one has 27 different sounds on it, which gives a larger range of sound and capabilities," he said.

The organ and renovations to house it cost of $75,000.

The church needed to move pews to make room, added a subfloor under the organ and drywalled over brick in the loft where the organ housed.

"It became much more labour intensive and a much bigger job than we ever anticipated," said Leslie Meloche, the worship committee chairperson.

When tied into the old pipes, the church now has 1,825 pipes, some of them standing five metres tall.

The pipes are located in a loft behind the altar, and only accessible through a small hatchway in the ceiling four metres above the floor. The only way to reach the organ is by using a rung ladder attached to the wall.

The dedication concert will be held Saturday at 3 p.m. with organist David Palmer and soloist Elspeth Maynard.

"The fact we still have an organ, I think that's good. We can go back to the traditional [worship]," Meloche said.