On Sunday, May 3, Faith Lutheran Church in Plano, Texas celebrated the installation of the church's new Johannus Monarke pipe organ with two special worship services featuring the dedication and blessing of the pipe organ and an appearance by a special guest organist.
"The organ leads us in giving thanks and praise to God," said Faith Lutheran Church Senior Pastor Rev. James Woelmer of Lucas. "God gives gifts of life and salvation to us poor sinners. How do we respond? We make a joyful noise to the Lord. We break forth in joyous song and sing praises.
Benjamin Kolodziej, Director of Worship and organist at Lord of Life Lutheran Church of Plano, served as guest organist during the organ dedication worship services. He also gave congregation members a tour of the organ between morning worship services, showcasing the different capabilities of the organ by playing a variety of pieces. He also educated guests about the pipes, digital capabilities and other features of the organ.
The Johannus Monarke pipe organ was chosen for Faith Lutheran Church for a variety of reasons. The organ installed is a hybrid organ, and the church was able to incorporate pipes (three extended ranks for a total of 243 pipes) into the final design very cost effectively.
The stops, otherwise known as 'voices' on the organ, were customized for Faith Lutheran Church to enhance the acoustics of the church sanctuary. The pipe placement around the church's altar takes advantage of the physical characteristics of the church sanctuary and did not require extensive modifications.
The speaker system designed for the digital portion of the church's organ is robust and expandable. Every note on the organ has an individual customized digital pipe organ sound sampling, which means the organ sounds like a true pipe organ.
The Johannus Monarke pipe organ was installed at Faith Lutheran Church by Johannus Organs of Texas.
"What action does music perform? It proclaims the wonders God has done," said Woelmer. "Music proclaims the Gospel. It tells the story of Christ's life, death and resurrection. Music carries the word of God. As you sing, you are proclaiming the Word of God to others around you. As you sing, you confess the Gospel and you believe what you are singing. Music carries God's word. Our new organ leads us as we sing God's word, giving thanks to God for His gifts of life and salvation."
About Faith Lutheran Church:
Faith Lutheran Church is a Christ-centered congregation of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ that confesses the teachings of the historic Christian church as they are taught in the Bible. Faith Lutheran Church is a member of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and has locations in both Plano and Wylie, Texas. For more information, please visit www.faithplano.org and www.faithwylie.org or call 972.423.7447