Church of the Good Shepherd awaits pipe organ delivery date

Dream of a quality pipe organ nears reality Milford -The Church of the Good Shepherd and St. John the Evangelist, in the heart of Milford, is expecting delivery of its new Schantz Pipe Organ by Apr. 23. Fr. Bill McGinty, the pastor of the church, commented, “We are all very excited, a little bit like expectant parents; we’ll be counting fingers and toes or little pipes and stops I suppose!” He went on to say that this was not the first time the church has presented Milford with a pipe organ, the previous occasions being 1877 and 1925, “but they will pale in comparison to the sheer quality of this one.” “The Church has taken its lead from the spirit of the people of Milford who have worked so hard in recent years to turn their town into a vibrant center of the Arts. In taking this step the congregation hopes to enhance the Arts in Milford by adding the wonderful sound of organ music for both resident and tourist to enjoy,” he said. The Schantz Pipe Organ of Good Shepherd will be capable of performing a complete concert repertoire. McGinty went on to say: “Living in the center of town, across the road from the park, places us in the unique position of fully participating in the musical life of the community. We have the best acoustical venue in town and what we can do with Organ Concerts will only add to the classical concerts that have graced our church in the last year. Whether it is the Grey Tower’s Concerts or Kindred Spirits Concerts we have been able to meet the challenge of continuing to put Milford on the musical map,” McGinty said. The church literature shows that the Schantz organ will have 25 ranks and some 1600 pipes. Built by the oldest family owned Pipe Organ Company in American, established in 1873, the Schantz Organ is customized to perfectly fit the acoustics of the church building. The congregation of Good shepherd adopted the term “Milford Musical Legacy,” to encapsulate the idea that this enterprise was their gift to future generations and will stand for 100 years and more. “Expose your children to great music and a great music tradition and it stays with them a life time. Through christenings, marriages, the seasons and, even sad memorial services, the history of our town and the way we have celebrated it has been played and sung by our Anglican tradition. We want that to continue,” said McGinty. The Good Shepherd Church will be holding its annual Milford Musical Legacy fund raising dinner at the Cliff Park Inn on April 14. For further information and tickets call 570-296-8123. The inaugural pipe organ concert will be June 16. Details will be published on their website:www.GoodShepherdMilford.org .