Wandering Wisconsin:

The members at one church have been hard at work installing a new half-million dollar organ. One they got for free. It dates back to 1850 and church members call it a "god-send."

Today we're wandering to Chetek Lutheran Church to check out its new -- old organ.

Tom Cochrane
Organ Committee Chairman:
It's the thrill of a lifetime. This is a gift that was meant to be. From the day that Tim first heard from his friends in Maine and told our choir director, it went from there.

Tim Grenz
Organized "Gift Organ":
This is the largest project that I've ever been involved with. A friend of mine in Maine knew about the organ and put me in touch. Sagadahoc Preservation Society bought the Winter Street Church complex which was built in 1795. They're in the process of turning it into a community art center and they did not want the organ, but didn't want the hassle of parting it out. They made a gift of it to Chetek Lutheran Church. We had some help from folks there to help us dismantle it and pack it.

Tom: We spent five days in a beautiful church that was built in 1795 dismantling the thing. Tim took pictures of everything.

Jarad Grenz
Tim's Son, Part of Organ Crew:

My dad said it was going to be a little organ. I went up to the facade and pulled back the tarp and I was like "Dad, you better come over here. I think it's a little bigger than what we thought."

Tim: It's just a phenomenal instrument. It was basically abandoned in 1971. It hadn't been played for 36 years. Other than a little dirty it was in new condition. We've been working on it ever since. Endless tasks, just endless.

Jarad: I had to take every pipe out of that swell organ and now, of course, I had to put them all back.

Tom: To say it's a Chinese jigsaw to get in back together and to see it materializing is just a gift.

Tim: The organ itself parts of it dates from the 1850's. The majority of it is from 1891. The Andover Company in Boston rebuilt it in 1952 and put it on electric action. Some of the pipework predates the Civil War and we're making some additions. There's 29 ranks, about 2000 pipes all together. It's been hundreds and hundreds of man-hours that have gone into it. It's been completely rewired. It's just going to be a great organ. We started installing it and folks were just 'this is really big!' They're overwhelmed. Folks are so excited and they're asking questions. I actually had quite a few I took up in the swell box and showed them around. It's like a room. It's 24 feet wide and nine feet deep. You can actually walk around in the instrument. It's very neat. It'll go from a very soft flute sound to a very powerful full organ cathedral sound. The building certainly will rumble.

Pastor Guy Redfield
Chetek Lutheran Church:

Tim tells me up here it's going to be shaking so it's going to be a moving experience to have that organ as part of our worship. I love music so it's exciting. It has required thousands of hours, so we're grateful. Just the enthusiasm in the community is exciting.

Jarad: There's a lot of pipes. I mean it's phenomenal and I've helped handle each and every one. It's amazing.

Tim: Just the joy of making music, there's something profound and it touches the soul in the sounds of a pipe organ and to hear one played is truly a spiritual experience.

Tom: To see it all come back together is just a dream come true. It's something that'll be here forever. We're celebrating our 125th year this year, this thing will be here 125 years for the next one and that'll be fun, too.

Tim says they're on pace to have the organ ready by memorial day.... and pastor guy says everyone is welcome to come see and hear it this summer!

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