Dear People of Grace:
I am so glad to share in community with you!
At the urging of our Organist & Choir Director Brandon Burns, we received a quote to have the electrical relay system within our pipe organ replaced as it has become nearly non-functional. Due to the age of the instrument and its current system, our organ technician has had a hard time even finding small, necessary parts as they have, inevitably, had to be replaced during routine organ maintenance. Thus, the council and I invite you to join in a short congregational meeting on Sunday, July 25 at 10:00 am to vote on whether to move forward with this replacement, one necessary if we wish to continue the use of the organ.
Despite the high cost of this project, the council has good news to share about our current financial position that will allow us to pay for this replacement with relative ease. If you are interested in the details, below is a summary from the quote we received from organ technician Adrian Phillips.
“We are proposing using the Uniflex Relay System that will provide the following features and additional capabilities that the present system does not offer and is substantially more cost efficient than other competing relay systems presently available.
• New combination action control relay: This will allow the organist to have unlimited memory settings, unlimited artist files, record and playback of tracks, diagnostic tools for troubleshooting, allowing the capability of editing player files/tracks, and a multitude of functions allowing the redefinition of stops or order if wished to be changed by the organist for music presentation.
• New chamber driver boards to support the combination action relay as this will be required for all of the components to speak to each other.
Estimated proposed cost for replacement of the entire system is $34,200.00 which includes all labor, parts, supplies to ensure a complete and fully functional system with a 2-year parts and labor warranty.”
In order to vote on this issue, our constitution does require a quorum. Please join us on Sunday, July 25 at 10 am either in Hope Hall or by Zoom.
To join by computer:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81991513802?pwd=eHpJenFnMGR4d3BUaldlRUd0VlAxQT09
To call into the meeting on your phone: 1-346-248-7799.
Meeting Passcode is 121583.
Meeting ID is 819 9151 3802.
Please let me or Pastor Sarah know if you have questions leading up to the meeting.
Grace and peace,
Tim Gallen
Council President