It was the summer of 1957. My Mom and Dad had heard about an organist/teacher by the name of Bob Bennett. He was the organist at St. Luke’s Methodist Church. They contacted him and Mom drove me to the church on a Saturday morning for my first organ lesson. The Sanctuary was what is now the Fellowship Hall. The organ was a small Hammond electronic organ. I was so excited to sit down at that organ for my first lesson. I had taken piano lessons for several years, but this was an all-new experience for this 13-year old kid! Two keyboards and foot pedals too! Wow! I studied hard and fortunately, playing the organ came naturally to me.

One Saturday, Mr. Bennett walked me over to the construction site for the new Sanctuary. It was exciting to see the steel girders and new concrete being put into place. After a long while, it was finished, and walking into the brand new Sanctuary was a thrill I can’t express! And the organ! It had four keyboards and foot pedals. It was like sitting down in the cockpit of a 747 jetliner! Mr. Bennett showed me a few things about the organ and then left me alone to explore all by myself. I was intimidated by the vastness of the console but loved seeing what every knob and switch did. All of this took place in 1959. The organ was a brand new M. P. Moller pipe organ, manufactured in Hagerstown Maryland. There was to be a dedication recital soon after the Sanctuary opened and my Dad drove us to the church that evening for the inaugural concert. To our surprise, when we arrived at the church, it was so full that the only place we could find to sit was the second to the last row of the balcony. As the music began swirling around the room, I was swept into a new place. I knew that the organ was going to be a part of my future. But, I never dreamed that one day, I would be the organist of this great church. To this day, when I sit at the console and look out at the congregation on Sunday mornings, I think to myself, “I can’t believe I’m the one that gets to do this.” I’m so blessed to be the organist at a church that I’ve loved for so many years. Happy 75th Birthday St. Luke’s!