GOBIN MEMORIAL UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
OPEN HEARTS, OPEN MINDS, OPEN DOORS
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Church Photo Gallery
Gobin Memorial United Methodist Church PO Box 66 307 Simpson St. Greencastle, IN 46135
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The Plan to Restore the Gobin Organ Restoration of the Gobin organ is essential to return its former role as a central element in community worship, as a teaching instrument for DePauw students, and in enriching the cultural life of the Greencastle community. The total estimated cost of the project is $450,000. Reynolds Associates will begin restoration work when $250,000 is available for the project. The Gobin congregation has set a goal to complete the project to coincide with a celebration of the organ’s 80th anniversary in late 2009. The organ restoration is the capstone project of almost ten years of projects to secure Gobin’s historic sanctuary for the 21st century. Since 2001, Entheos Architects, an Indianapolis firm specializing in church renovations, has planned and overseen modifications to the Gobin Sanctuary and secured the integrity of the historic building. By the end of 2007, the congregation will have invested over $500,000 in significant visual and acoustical improvements to the sanctuary plus enhancements to the safety and structure of the building itself. Over $200,000 of this amount has been contributed by current and past church members as part of a three-year Capital Stewardship Campaign, with the remainder coming from the support of DePauw University and other donors. Major building renovations have included replacing the carpet with ceramic tile which created dynamic changes in the sanctuary acoustics that support powerful worship and music. Vocal and instrumental artists now enjoy performing in the Gobin sanctuary; and DePauw students and faculty routinely perform recitals and participate in the Gobin choir during worship. Gobin Sanctuary is currently hosting the third annual Summer Chamber Concert Series featuring regional artists in solo and ensemble performances. When DePauw’s Performing Arts Center closed in the spring of 2007 for renovation, the DePauw orchestra, band, and choral groups began to use the Gobin sanctuary for rehearsals and recitals. Unfortunately, the once-superb Gobin organ can no longer adequately support such performances. The organ restoration is the final component of the renewal of the Gobin’s sanctuary. A newly revitalized organ will return this historic instrument’s central role in worship, teaching, and music in a renovated sanctuary. After restoration, the Gobin organ will be able to once again become a teaching instrument for DePauw students – nurturing in the future, as it has in the past, “generations of young church musicians and, through them, the spiritual lives of many congregations.”
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