During the early spring of 2021, when the church building was closed due to Covid–19, a heavy rainstorm caused considerable water damage to both the steeple roof and the organ pipe chamber, including ruined pipes and damage to the system that blows air into the pipes.
Unfortunately, the church had experienced stubborn roof leaks for many years. The flat roof of the Fellowship Hall had been patched and slates on the slate roof of the sanctuary had been replaced numerous times. But the problems persisted. It was discovered that the makeshift system used to catch water in the belfry was not working, and roof leaks caused tiles to become saturated and fall onto the pipes of the pipe organ.
There were more than 50 pipes affected with 40 pipes not working at all due to water damage. There was water damage to the wind chest, damage to the electrical work, and several small mechanical components of the organ were damaged or broken. Upon further inspection of this issue, we discovered cloth electrical wiring within the workings of the organ, which was not up to code.
The time had come to remedy the roof leaks once and for all, which had to be completed before we could fix the organ.
Planning The Work
A focus group, made of Jack Breidinger, Ann Dalton, Katie Elliott, Glenn Hertzog, and Mel Messinger, met on March 22, 2021 to discuss the roof and organ repair project. The first order of business was to get quotes for the roof repairs. The focus group reached out to other churches in the area to find roofing contractors they have used in the past and received several names.
On June 8, 2021, the Trustees voted to contract with Alan Kunsman Roofing & Siding, Inc. from Freemansburg, PA to do the necessary roof repairs at Schoeneck. The contracted cost of the entire roof project was $9,850.00. Since the proposed work cost less than $14,000, a special Church Council meeting was not needed to approve the contract.
It was later decided that roof repairs and maintenance were needed on all roof areas. The proposed additional work would cost $5,900. A Special Church Council meeting was held on September 19, 2021 to approve spending a total of $16,000 on the roof project.
Fixing the Roof
The following repairs to the roofs were completed by Alan Kunsman Roofing & Siding in 2021:
- Upper and lower belfry roof areas were inspected, repaired, and coated with flexible epoxy.
- Belfry posts and railings were inspected, repaired, and re–caulked.
- The lightning arrestor on the upper belfry roof was replaced and sealed.
- Flashing at the base of the belfry wash checked and repaired.
- All slate roof areas, including the parsonage, were inspected and about 50 slates were replaced.
- A ridge cap was installed on the parsonage roof.
- The flat roof area next to the Fellowship Hall is home to the five heating/air conditioning units that support the Fellowship Hall and Kitchen. Leaks were repaired at each of these units. One of the ductwork enclosures was completely rebuilt and large portions of wet roofing and insulation were replaced. Flashing was checked and repaired at each unit as needed.
- Two power vents were installed near the central peak of the Fellowship Hall shingle roof. These vents will control condensation which has caused drywall damage as well as keep the attic area much cooler in the warmer months and reduce air conditioning energy costs.
- Chimney flashing was replaced and the entire chimney was coated with a clear water sealant to prevent water leakage and preserve the brickwork.
- An annual roof inspection has been recommended. This will help address minor maintenance items on a regular basis to prevent damage and reduce repair costs.
Jack Breidinger and Dennis Silvius worked with Alan Kunsman Roofing & Siding to prevent the steeple from leaking again and causing more damage. Once the organ parts were removed, they built a shallow open box in the attic over the pipe chamber (imagine a big sandbox) lined with a roofing material to hold water. All of the roof supports and joists within the box were also covered with waterproof roofing material and flashed, since a lot of water seemed to run down those supports before the roof was fixed.
Any water that gets into the steeple will be caught in the box, directed to a sump pump, and forced out of the steeple. In addition, there is an alarm to alert us when water is detected, so we can make sure it is all pumped out. The cost of this work was underwritten by a member of the congregation.
This system is based on how warehouses protect their inventory but was designed to fit Schoeneck’s space and circumstances — and so that all materials could fit through the tiny attic opening hatch! We know that, despite our best efforts, we cannot make an almost 140 year–old steeple waterproof. By adding this protection, we hope that the organ will never suffer damage from water leaks again.
Organ Restoration
An Organ Restoration Task Force was formed with Sue Dreydoppel at the helm as chairperson, with our Director of Music Ryan Morrow, Ann Dalton, JoAnn Heckman, and Bill Heiser.
Two bids were received for the organ repairs. Brunner & Associates Organbuilders, LLC from Mount Joy, PA (near Lancaster) offered a competitive bid and was chosen. Brunner & Associates are builders and providers of custom designed pipe organs who specialize in historic organs. Restoration work on the organ was to begin in late summer 2022. In addition to repairing the water damage, all pipes would be cleaned, and some periodic organ maintenance and updating would be completed.
On October 10, 2021 a special Church Council meeting unanimously approved spending up to $130,000 to restore, clean, and update the pipe organ in the sanctuary. The organ contract subsequently came in just over $120,000, which became the fundraising goal for the organ restoration project.
Not all of the work the organ needed was because of the water damage. Every 30 years or so pipe organs need to be cleaned and tuned. The last time this was done was in the late 1980s, so it was time to do it again. While the organ was already being disassembled, it seemed to be an appropriate time for that cleaning, with some upgrades in wiring and electronics at the same time.
If you are still at Schoeneck around the year 2050, you might be hearing about the need for organ maintenance and cleaning again. For many of us, we hope this is a once– or twice– in–a–lifetime experience!
Fundraising Efforts
“Be A Schoeneck Organ Donor!” was the slogan of our fundraising campaign which officially kicked off in October 2021. An Organ Restoration Project envelope was added to the monthly offering envelopes each communicant member receives.
The Schoeneck congregation were enthusiastic givers from the very beginning. By February 2022, the Organ Restoration Fund had received $40,000, one–third of the $120,000 goal. That amount in only four months was a fantastic achievement. By June 2023 we were half–way there! This included a grant from the Larger Life Foundation.
With $60,000 to go, we kept the story of the tortoise and the hare in the front of our minds. It’s the slow and steady tortoise that completed the race. Our “race” was not to get to the goal quickly, but to raise the necessary funds over the time that we had to restore the organ properly. Small amounts given regularly by many people over time are just as effective as one or two large gifts. We knew it would take all gifts — those large and those small — to complete this project.
A Fun Day With Sundaes!
Saturday, July 9, 2022 was Schoeneck Day at Mountain View Drive–In. Schoeneck member and then co–owner, Lanie Yaswinski, made the date available, with all tips and a portion of the proceeds to benefit the Schoeneck Organ Restoration Fund. Schoeneck provided some of the staff for this event — greeting customers, bussing tables, selling mini–golf tickets, and serving food and ice cream. It was a delicious and fun way to contribute to the Organ Fund!
Thanks to the incredible support from members of Schoeneck and others who came to eat, visit, and play mini–golf, plus some subsidiary sales of paper stars and choir CDs, the day brought in $3,900 for the organ fund!
Special thanks to everyone who volunteered: Corey Beil, Jill Beil, Ann Dalton, Sue Dreydoppel, Billy Elliott, Katie Elliott, Pastor Garritt Fleming, Sue Gehris, JoAnn Heckman, Bill Heiser, Alexis Morris–Ng, Denise Morris–Ng, Ryan Morrow, Susan Schalk, Courtney Schnyderite, Jillian Schnyderite, Nova Schwab (a VBS helper from Nazareth Moravian Church), Pam Stampf, Bob Sweitzer, and Marianne Sweitzer. Thanks to Grumpy Old Men, who provided musical entertainment, and of course, extra big thanks to Lanie Yaswinski, who made it all possible.
As you can see from the photos, a great time was had by all!
Music For Everyone
A second big project was undertaken by Ryan Morrow, with support from the United Brethren’s Congregation on Staten Island. Ryan recorded organ accompaniment to over 200 hymns from the blue Moravian Book of Worship, to be made available to Moravian congregations whenever they need accompaniment, but the organ is being refurbished or there is no organist available.
Ryan and Mike Riess, from the Interprovincial Board of Communications, recorded twice in July and twice in August. Not only was this a great compliment to Schoeneck’s organ and Director of Music, but we received $5,000 from the UBC grant underwriting the project!
For more information on this project, please click here.
So Close. . .
Twelve months after a special Church Council meeting unanimously approved restoring, cleaning, and updating the pipe organ in the sanctuary, we had raised approximately 75% of our $120,000 goal — almost $80,000. Raising that kind of money in only one year is a phenomenal achievement, and one which our congregation can be very proud of.
With some out–of–the–box thinking for fundraising ideas, the tireless support of the Schoeneck congregation, many, many prayers, and the blessing of God, we no longer anticipated the need to take out a loan to pay the final invoice. What a wonderful testimony to our congregation and our music program!
We now had six or seven months to raise the final $30,000. Beginning in November 2022, some unique holiday and music–themed gifts were available for purchase. Members and friends of Schoeneck could purchase holiday gifts for their loved ones and support the organ fund at the same time.
We reached our $120,000 goal on Palm Sunday, April 2, 2023, a very appropriate date! We planned to continue to accept funds for this project until the end of May 2023. Any funds not needed for this restoration would be put into a new “Organ Maintenance” fund to be used in the future for any organ repairs and updates. All money contributed would still go to the organ, now or later.
And Yet So Far.
Unfortunately, in May 2023, we received some bad news.
Brunner & Associates discovered something additional that needed to be repaired. It had to do with the wind system, which regulates the air flow to the pipes. There are three regulators which keep the supply and pressure of the air flow constant.
When Brunner started to rebuild one, they noticed that the leather and rubber cloth which makes the inside air–tight was glued incorrectly. When the other regulators were checked, they were all found to be put together improperly.
One water–damaged regulator was rebuilt at no additional charge, since fixing it was in the contract. However, they recommended that the other two regulators also be rebuilt. Obviously, the time to have the work done was when everything was already at their workshop. Putting the work off until later would involve additional cost and additional time in the future without the organ. The additional cost now was $7,920. At the May 2022 meeting the Trustees approved spending the additional $8,000 to have the work done. This took us to the full $130,000 that was approved for the work by Church Council in October 2021.
While we were disappointed that we were not finished fundraising, we were confident that, with God’s continuing help and guidance, we would raise the additional funds just as we had raised the rest of the money. We still had so much to be thankful for!
We have established an Organ Maintenance Fund with the Moravian Ministries Foundation, an interest–bearing account in which to keep reserve funds for future work on the organ. If you would like to make a contribution, please see our Giving page.
The Organ Has Left The Building
In June 2022 we learned that work on the organ would not begin in early or late summer, as we had hoped and planned. Brunner & Associates had some schedule changes that pushed our project back. This proved to be a blessing because it meant the work would begin after Christmas.
The advantages of this new date were:
- We would have the organ for Advent, Christmas Eve, and Christmas worship!
- We would have a shorter time without the organ. Brunner & Associates believed they would be able to focus on our organ after Christmas and could get the work done more quickly.
- More time to raise the funds needed. We already had enough money on hand for the first payment, which was due once work began. We were well on our way to having enough for the second payment, which was due midway through the process. We were willing to borrow money for the final payment, if necessary. But the additional time would allow us to raise more money to hopefully avoid a loan.
Trucks from Brunner & Associates, our organ restoration company from Lancaster, arrived on January 11, 2023 and the much–anticipated work on the organ began. For the past 15 months we had been talking about it, waiting for it, planning for it, and it was finally here!
One by one, each of the 1,128 pipes was removed from the pipe chamber and carefully packed into wooden pipe trays. Twenty–seven (!!) pipe trays were packed into a trailer and a van to take back to the restoration company’s warehouse in Lancaster for cleaning and restoring. The pipes will all be cleaned, retuned, and repaired or replaced as necessary.
The keyboards and everything inside of the organ console (where Ryan sits to play) were also removed. The keys, pedals, and insides of the organ console were cleaned, repaired, refurbished, and the old electronic parts were replaced with modern ones.
While the organ was unavailable for use, Ryan played a new electronic piano purchased in memory of Paul Stoudt. Sometimes it sounds like a piano, an organ, a harpsichord, or a variety of other instruments. Bill Heiser arranged for an expedited purchase and picked up the new Clavinova at the factory, saving a lot in delivery fees. We are grateful to have had this instrument to fill in for the pipe organ.
Special Thanks to JoAnn Heckman for the pictures
below of the organ removal from January 11, 2023.
Making Progress
Brunner & Associates posted a couple pictures of our organ on their Facebook page as they were repairing it.
From 2/13/2023: Repairing a key of the Great manual on the organ from Schoeneck Moravian Church.
From 3/14/2023 Staining the keyslips for the organ at Schoeneck Moravian Church.
While the pieces of our organ were at the Brunner & Associates warehouse, other things were going on at church to prepare for the organ’s return. Damaged ceiling tiles in the balcony were replaced, and the ceiling inside the pipe chamber was repaired and stabilized. The emergency lights that were fastened to the top of the pipe chamber were moved over onto the ceiling.
The roofing company installed a waterproof barrier in the attic above the pipe chamber to catch any future leaks, with a sump pump to force the water out of the steeple. This is all to try to make sure that a water leak never ruins the organ again. Thanks to Jack Breidinger and Dennis Silvius for all their work on this project.
The wood exterior of the pipe chamber was also refurbished and refinished. Once we removed the benches in front of the pipe chamber, we could see that there was water damage to the wooden exterior. There are also the normal wear and tear where furniture bumped into the finished wood. Dennis Silvius repaired all of those dings and dents so that the exterior looks as great as the new organ sounds.
Of course, everyone was wondering: when will the organ return? That is the difficult part of any project: waiting. Everything was ready for the pipes and the organ to come home. Until it did, we gave thanks to God that we were able to accomplish this goal!
Good News & Bad News
In April 2023, Brunner & Associates told us they are “proceeding at a good pace” with our organ. That was the good news…
The Bad News: They discovered something additional that needed to be repaired. It had to do with the wind system, which regulates the air flow to the pipes. There are three regulators which keep the supply and pressure of the air flow constant. One was in their shop to be rebuilt because of water damage. One was in their shop to be adjusted because it had been making a noise. One was still in our pipe chamber because there appeared to be no reason to work on it. All three seemed to have been reused in a previous major organ restoration.
When Brunner started to rebuild the water–damaged one, which involves taking it completely apart, they noticed that the leather and rubber cloth which makes the inside air–tight was glued incorrectly. They checked the other regulator in their shop, and it is put together incorrectly, too. When a crew was at Schoeneck, they looked at the one regulator that was still in our pipe chamber, and it was the same construction. From the outside, they still looked to be in good shape. It was only when they started taking one apart that they could tell the regulators were improperly constructed.
Rebuilding one water–damaged regulator was in the contract. However, they recommended that the other two regulators also be rebuilt properly. It simply made sense to do it right away.
Around this time, it was also discovered that the original organ blower motor from about 1912 was exhibiting signs of wear and was overheating, which could have caused a fire. Thanks to Jack Breidinger’s connections, we were able to have a custom motor constructed at cost. Jack and Dennis Silvius installed the motor, which was then inspected by an engineer to be sure it had been installed correctly.
The donated time and labor from these two dedicated members of the congregation over the entire course of this project saved us several thousand dollars, for which we are incredibly grateful.
Almost every week in June and July 2023, technicians from Brunner & Associates were coming to Schoeneck, bringing refurbished pieces back and re–installing them. It was so exciting to be able to finally “see” the project progressing!
By August 2023, the work on the organ was very close to being completed. The pipes were reinstalled, and all that was left was to make sure that everything sounded marvelous in the new environment. Technicians made final adjustments for about a week in early September.
Special Thanks to JoAnn Heckman for the pictures
of the organ reinstallation from August 29, 2023.
A Glorious Celebration
We celebrated the completion of this project on Sunday, October 15, 2023 when we rededicated the newly restored pipe organ with a lovefeast created for the occasion and a Singstunde to mark the congregation’s 261st anniversary. In addition, Ryan Morrow composed “Chorale Partita on Come, Let Us All With Gladness Raise” for the organ’s rededication, and the piece was premiered during worship that day.
It was a moving and memorable service — to hear the organ for the first time and hear how beautifully it blended with brass, voice, bells and timpani! And every Sunday we will continue to enjoy the music produced by the organ, accompanying congregational singing, the vocal choirs, bell choirs, and other instruments for their true purpose: praising and worshipping God!
The celebration continued after worship, with displays of photos and artifacts from the organ restoration process and souvenirs for all in the Fellowship Hall. “Tours” of the pipe chamber in the balcony were given.
There was a special bulletin insert for the dedication Sunday with the name of every Organ Donor for this project. A plaque with all of the names was mounted in the narthex by the sanctuary.
A Gift For The Congregation
The musicians of Schoeneck, past and present, presented one additional rank of pipes for the organ as a gift to the congregation in honor of our Director of Music, Ryan Morrow and his years at Schoeneck. Although Ryan knew about the additional rank, he was not aware that it was in his honor until Christmas Eve 2023, when the musicians told him.
As the organ was being repaired and refurbished, there was room for one more rank of pipes to be added to the console. At the same time, Brunner & Associates had a set of 32 pipes in need of a good home. They offered to give us the pipes (wow!), if Schoeneck would pay for the cleaning, wiring and installation, a cost of around $12,500. Schoeneck’s musicians have donated the entire amount, to the glory of God and in honor of Ryan.
The new pipes are a Leiblich Flute 16–foot pedal rank. They are played by the organ pedals, and provide a softer low sound, complementing the other pedal pipes. Since the new pipes are supposed to be played along with other pipes, they don’t sound like much on their own, but they add to the total sound.
The pipes were donated as a gift to the congregation in honor of our Director of Music by Schoeneck musicians, both present and past: Patty Sost Alercia; Karl and Cathee Butz; Ann Dalton; Lori and John Deutsch; Brian, Jennie, and Drew Dishong; Deb and Lou Dishong; Sue and Otto Dreydoppel; Sue Gehris; Bill Heiser; Glenn and Carolyn Hertzog; Diane Hriniak; Sarah and Brandon Hriniak; Jim and Brenda Makovetz; Linda Meylach; Lorin Miller; Janet and John Morrow; Ryan Morrow; Conrad and Loraine Rice; Courtney, James, Jillian, and Jordyn Schnyderite; Troy Schoeneberger; Joanne Smith; Shirley Warner Smith; Pam Stampf; Miriam Stoudt; Laurie Toyberg; Roy Ledbetter in memory of his daughter Anna; and Memorial Funds from Kyle Butz and Dennis Smith.
To God Alone Be The Glory!
From the beginning, the phrase used in conjunction with this project has been, “To God Alone be the Glory.” It’s a translation of a Latin phrase used by composers such as Johann Sebastian Bach, George Friedrich Handel, and Ryan Morrow — Soli Deo Gloria. It means that whatever music we produce or create with this organ, we do it only for God’s glory. Fortunately, God is pleased to let us all listen and enjoy the music, too. We look forward to many decades of great music on this organ in worship and praise of God!