The First Methodist Church, located along Market Street in Warren, is making a significant effort to restore a piece of its rich history.

Restoration efforts are currently underway for their nearly 100 year-old pipe organ.

According to church officials the building was actually constructed around the instrument in 1927, when it was gifted to the church by an affluent family in town.

“The organ was given to us by the Beaty family in 1927," stated Ruth Nelson, Director of Music at First Methodist. "It’s had updates throughout the years, in 1970 and 2002, but many of the components in this organ are original to 1927.”

Restoring such a large instrument will take several weeks, with parts of the organ ranging in size from a few centimeters up to 10 feet.

"This organ actually dates back 97 years, and parts of it have not been touched in that time," stated Mark Fischer, Owner of Fischer Pipe Organ Tuning and Service. "We are cleaning them and restoring all of the components of the organ to as close to new condition as possible.”

The labor-intensive task involves cleaning and restoring over 2,500 pipes to their original glory.

We spoke with the senior pastor of the church about why this project is so important to him and the church community.

“This pipe organ is a large part of church and our celebrations," Mark Hecht, Senior Pastor of First Methodist, said. "Some even call it the heart of the church. So it's very important that we are doing what we can to ensure that it stays in good condition for as long as possible. The church is going to be celebrating our 100th anniversary, so that is another reason why we wanted to make sure that all of this work was completed.”

It truly is a large undertaking but one that is a labor of love.

"Pipe organs are considered the king of instruments," stated Fischer. "They are such an important part of church. It's my hope that we are doing our part to help that."

Services are still being held at the First Methodist Church during the restoration efforts.

It is their hope that in a few week's time, the organ will be back and better than ever.

For more information about the First Methodist Church in Warren, visit here.