The Steiner-Reck Organ of Saint John Lutheran Church in Fraser, Michigan was dedicated in June of 1987, the year after the new church was completed. It had served and inspired the congregation for over 30 years, but displayed an increasing number of mechanical and electrical issues leading to the major rebuild project that has recently been completed as part of Saint John's Branching Out building and remodeling program. Roch Morin of J. A. Hebert and Son Associates of Troy, Michigan was contracted to lead this project. He tuned and maintained the instrument for 25 years.

The pipe organ rebuild project consisted of 3 phases:

1. REMOVAL - taking out all pipework (except the 10 largest pipes), mechanical action systems, organ console, and all the pipe chests (the large boxes filled with rows of holes as seen in photos). This was completed from April 2-19, 2018. In addition, Saint John members carried out a remodeling of the balcony steps, replacement of some tile and trim in the balcony, and insulating and drywalling over the exhaust grate on the back wall where some of the larger pipes of the organ are now relocated.
2. REPAIR & REPLACE - cleaning, repairing, or replacing of pipes; regulating and voicing of all pipes; construction of a new drawknob organ console; and construction of new pipe chests. This work was done at Organ Supply Industries in Erie, PA from late-April into October.
3. REINSTALLATION - all new components returned to the church in October to be reinstalled. The bulk of the re-installation was completed prior to Thanksgiving 2018. New pipe chests were installed, roughly 2,200 pipes placed onto those chests, and some final regulating and voicing was done. These systems are controlled from a new, movable organ console with 3 manual keyboards and pedalboard. In addition to the winded pipe components, the organ also has the option of new digital voices (Allen Ensemble) and recording capability to allow for more flexibility of use. This final phase was completed in July 2019, with the re-dedication occurring the weekend of August 25 in the worship services.

The rebuilt organ looks no different when viewing from below, but has a "warmer, rounder" sound while maintaining its reedy fire and brilliance when desired. Even though the organ is no larger or louder than it was before, the listener will hear new colorful sounds not heard prior to the rebuild and may notice that the instrument can go from a very quiet registration to the full organ with a seamless buildup of volume and brilliance that was not possible before. We pray that the resulting instrument, which for all practical purposes is a new organ, will serve to inspire the congregation to new heights of praise in worship and song for many, many years to come.

On the pages that follow can be seen photos documenting the progress of this substantial project, more details about the project, and specific information on the organ as originally installed along with the updated specifications following the rebuild. Check back for a listing of Concerts featuring the instrument played by local artists beginning late 2019-2020.

TO GOD ALONE BE GLORY!