Church Prepping for 'National Treasure' With 9/11 Connection

With the 10th anniversary of 9/11 falling today on a Sunday, churches across the country will undoubtedly pay special tribute during their services.

has chosen the theme “Remembering with Hope.” The church has a unique connection to the tragic day because they are in the process of bringing a pipe organ donated from Trinity Wall Street to their soon-to-be built sanctuary.  Some dust and debris from the attacks affected the New York City church, which sits down the street from the World Trade Center site.

While there has been a lot of buzz—both in TV and in print—about the transfer of this large pipe organ, organist Randy Elkins of JCUMC says a lot of it has been false.

“There has been a misconception that we are rescuing an organ that was significantly damaged in the 9/11 attacks. That is not correct,” said Elkins.  Rather, the 53-year-old organ simply had standard wear and tear and some dust residue from the attacks, according to Elkins.

“I found the organ as I was looking for a way to put a beautiful pipe organ in our new sanctuary at less than the cost of a brand-new one,” said Elkins. “I contacted The Organ Clearing House and they proposed that I consider an instrument of monumental proportion that might be uniquely suited to our situation. This is the organ from Trinity Wall Street, which was about to be disposed and which we are bringing back to life and service.”

Reverend Beth Brown Shugart, pastor of worship and music for JCUMC, said, “It’s interesting that it has that connection [to 9/11] but that’s not why we got it.” Shugart explained that most pipe organs they had priced were $2 million or more. And while Trinity Wall Street is donating the pipe organ to JCUMC, it’s going to cost an estimated one-and-a-half million to refurbish, redesign and install it. Still, compared to the price of a new and smaller one, “This is quite a bargain in the grand scheme of things,” said Shugart.

Shugart added, “A pipe organ is so worth the investment. Being able to recycle an instrument that’s not being used is a great thing in many different ways. You don’t have to be concerned that you’re getting something old fashioned or out of date. It’s still good.”

Restoring an older pipe organ doesn’t just take plenty of money, it also takes plenty of time. “Every pipe has to be gone through by hand and cleaned. All of the reservoirs that the air is carried into have to be opened up, cleaned out and put back together,” said Elkins. And even after all that happens, “It will take probably three weeks to physically install it and another two months at least to do all the balancing,” he said. The organ is currently dismantled and parts are stored in New Hampshire and other parts in Maine.

While the church congregation has already raised more than $80,000 to move and catalogue the organ, Elkins plans to start the major fundraising campaign to design, rebuild and install it in January of 2012.  “Our people are into this,” he said. “I have great faith in this community.” They are set to break ground on the new sanctuary this November and hope to have that completed 13 months later. Although JCUMC will then have a space big enough to house the enormous organ, it will most likely take another three years of fundraising, designing and rebuilding before the installation can even begin. Just getting the organ from the Northeast to Georgia will require several semitrucks. 

So today as the congregation takes a moment to look back, they can also look forward to the day when they will enjoy music from what Elkins calls “a national treasure,” perhaps by the 15th anniversary of 9/11.