Can you feel it- the crispness of the morning air!? At long last, we are sliding into the fall season! It seems to have taken us a while to get here, but it’s finally here.
This season is one that offers new rhythms and experiences for all of us- a return to school, a calendar full of festivals and gatherings, switching from the A/C to the heat, and smelling all of the commercial scents that seem to officially mark the time of year. It is also a time that represents loss, though. We lose the green of the trees, but witness vibrant autumn hues as their leaves wither and fall. We miss the outdoor barbeque and pool parties but make room in our homes for new ways to gather with friends and family, even enjoying seasonally specific dishes! Newness out of loss.
Not that many years ago, longtime church members will remember our monumental decision to close and tear down two of our three buildings. That decision was hard and the work was grueling, but beauty has emerged from that perceived loss. New life is evident all around us in our shared life together, here at First on Fifth.
One of the gems of our now-razed buildings was our chapel that flanked Spruce street. Unlike our larger sanctuary, the chapel was a more traditional, shoebox-style dwelling. Tall ceilings, clear windows and twin pew sections with one central aisle. It was a stunning space with a generous acoustic. Hymn singing was robust in the chapel, and part of that was because of the 7 rank Moller pipe organ that sat high above and behind the congregation in the rear gallery.
When the buildings began to fall, we kept a few things from them to remember them by. A few solid doors were kept, a stained glass window was saved, a number of the bricks that formed the facade were made mementos, but we also saved and stored the chapel organ. We knew that someday, somewhere, the chapel organ could continue to serve this congregation. The organ, in all of its pipes and pieces, has been crated, sitting silent since then.
Much like seasons bring newness out of the loss of another, new life is coming to the Moller organ! After these recent years in storage, the chapel organ will soon live into its new life in our choir room. In similar fashion to its original installation, the organ will sit on the second floor of our rehearsal space, above and behind the choir, once again providing music for singing. It is currently receiving new wiring, and will be reassembled in its new chambers later this fall.
While we fondly remember what was, we are grateful for what is soon to be. We loved our chapel and the services we shared there, but we will love having its organ playing again in our choir room. Many of us love our summer days spent by the pool, but we will cherish the memories soon to be made inside our warm houses. Socrates said, “The secret to change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” In some way, I think this is God’s purpose for the many seasons we experience. Newness and change comes whether we want it to or not, and with God to guide us, we can live into that newness, ready to embrace it.
– JH