GOBIN MEMORIAL UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
OPEN HEARTS, OPEN MINDS, OPEN DOORS
|
|
Church Photo Gallery
Gobin Memorial United Methodist Church PO Box 66 307 Simpson St. Greencastle, IN 46135
|
PROJECT OVERVIEW The Lilly-Thompson Organ is a 64-rank organ originally dedicated for education and worship in Gobin Memorial Methodist Church in 1929. It was a gift of Josiah K. Lilly as a memorial to his parents, Eli and Emily Logan Lilly. Designed by Van Denman Thompson and the organ building firm, The Kimball Company of Chicago, the organ for over thirty years was known as the Van Denman Thompson organ and was the largest church organ in the State of Indiana at the time it was dedicated. While the original mechanical structure of the Gobin Pipe Organ is intact, years of use and previous alternations have adversely affected the overall performance of the organ. In order to restore the rich tones of the organ and to prepare the instrument to serve as an instrument for learning and worship for decades to come, the Gobin congregation intends to hire a nationally known organ restoration/renovation firm, Reynolds Associates, to perform significant corrective and enhancement work to all parts of the pipe organ. The extensive project will require 24 months to complete, during which the organ will only be operational occasionally. The total cost of the project will approach $500,000. While the congregation members have already raised about one-third this amount, the congregation members will need the financial support of many friends of the organ and Gobin Memorial in order complete the project. The work will begin on the first 12-month phase of the project as soon as $250,000 has been raised. The fund-raising effort will continue during the first year of work, so that the second 12-month phase can commence immediately after the first phase is completed. The Gobin congregation hopes to complete the project in time to celebrate the 80th anniversary in October 2009 of the original 1929 dedication of the organ. Details of the work to be performed on the organ is available from the Gobin Memorial Church Office at Gobin@ccrtc.com, or 765-658-6010. |
