Millwood Presbyterian to showcase renovated organ

The stirring sounds of Millwood Presbyterian’s organ will once again rise to the rafters Sunday. After months of planning, raising money and refurbishing, the 62-year-old musical instrument is finally ready for it’s unveiling.

“Its 50-year-bath really paid off,” said organist Michael Bulley.

The organ has a colorful history. It was originally installed in a church in Portland in 1942. It was moved to Millwood Presbyterian when the current church was built in 1952.

Age wasn’t kind to the instrument. Its wooden parts were cracked. Metal pipes were dented and leaning. The rooms where it was located suffered from extreme temperatures, which affected the sound.

The congregation quickly raised the $150,000 need for the project when Bulley sounded the alarm last year. Work began in September and was expected to be done in February. “The delays were in getting things ordered from the Midwest and the East,” he said. “It was just a matter of waiting for suppliers to supply.”

Now all the broken pieces have been replaced and the parts still in good shape were cleaned. The organ chambers were remodeled to eliminate the swings in temperature. The instrument was just tuned, but Bulley was impressed with the sounds he heard when he played it before its final adjustment. “It was a major difference in the sound, so much cleaner, so much brighter,” he said. “It was just a thrill.

“It wasn’t in tune, but the overall sound was so much better.”

The church will host a special recital to show off its refurbished organ on Sunday. Organist Joanna Richner Ellison will perform beginning at 4 p.m. at the church, 3223 N. Marguerite Road. Ellison is the organist at the First Presbyterian Church in Bozeman. She holds a master’s degree in music from the University of Oregon.

The public is welcome and there is no admission charge.

Episcopal Bishop to visit

Pastors and church members from all over the Valley will gather this week to hear retired Episcopal Bishop Claude Payne speak. Payne, who retired from the Diocese of Texas, is the author of “Reclaiming the Great Commission.”

The basis of Payne’s talk and book is that churches need to focus on mission work in their communities. “It’s really looking out to the needs of the community and seeing the best way the church can serve those needs,” said the Rev. Brian Prior of the Episcopal Church of the Resurrection.

Prior said that he’s used Payne’s ideas in his own church, launching a group called Team ECOR that sends church members to volunteer at a different agency every month. “We really try to support the other churches and the ministries that they do,” he said. “He’s been very influential in our church here.”

Prior believes that this is the first time Payne has spoken to a group that includes many different churches. “He’s a very engaging speaker,” he said. He’s very passionate about helping folks really move out into the community.”

Payne will lead a workshop Thursday from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Spokane Valley Church of the Nazarene at 20th Avenue and Sullivan Road. The cost is $10 and lunch will not be provided.

Payne will also speak during a worship service at 6:30 p.m. at Valley Nazarene. A session for pastors and church leaders will follow the service.

Call 926-1545 for more information.