Patrick Scott, one of three choir masters and organists at the Episcopal Cathedral of St. Phillip in Atlanta, Ga., plays the new $750,000 organ in the sanctuary at First United Methodist Church in Tuscaloosa, Ala. on Wednesday April 8, 2015. The final touches were completed on the organ Thursday April 2. On Sunday April 11 at 3 p.m. First United Methodist Church will hold a consecration service, Death and Resurrection, open to the public for the organ and the new grand piano. Scott will be one of two guest organists at the service. The second organist is Dr. Will Young, the director of music at First Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, N.C. staff photo | Erin Nelson

First United Methodist Church of Tuscaloosa was without an organ for almost two years as it awaited the construction of a custom-built, 2,580-pipe organ. It took almost two months to install, but the church will celebrate its new $750,000 organ on Sunday afternoon with a public concert featuring the organ, a new grand piano, a 25-piece orchestra and the church's 50- member choir.

For James Seay, director of music and worship, the new organ has been a labor of love. The former organ, built in 1929, had been rehabilitated once in the 1970s, but certain parts no longer worked, and it had a pierced sound to it, Seay said. Although some of the original pipes were re-scaled and reused, the organ itself is a new instrument.

"With the old organ, there were things that were no longer functioning the way they were meant to function, and it was designed for a style of music that we no longer celebrate in traditional music," Seay said. "We wanted a more romantic sound to it, one that had more of a warmth to it."

The original organ was removed in September 2013. The new organ was custom built in Tennessee using pipes from around the world and an organ blower that was once used at the Kennedy Center, Seay said. The new organ, a Randall Dyer and Associates Inc. Opus 98, has 45 ranks, and more than two-thirds of the organ is encapsulated in giant wooden shades that open to make the sound larger or softer.

"Typically, it takes years for an organ to be built," Seay said. "All of the wooden construction, all the carpentry was done in house, the facade, the electrical work, they do everything by hand. It is a massive undertaking."

Installation of the new organ began in February and was finished last week in time for Holy Week services.

"We are so excited to have the organ back," said the Rev. Ken Dunivant, senior pastor. "The piano has been great, but the organ fills the whole sanctuary with energy, joy and excitement."

Sunday's celebration concert will feature three works, including "A Joyful Son" which was commissioned by world-renowned composer Rene Clausen, Seay said. The text for the anthem was Psalm 98, which is perfect for the church's new Opus 98 organ, Seay said. Another work, Requiem by Maurice Durufle, was selected to display the organ's capabilities.

"It is a masterwork that highlights the capabilities of the organ and the beauty of the instrument, and uses every color that our organ has," Seay said.

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First United Methodist Church gets new $750,000 pipe organ

EL RENO, Oklahoma -

Seven months after a fire burned down an El Reno church, members finally broke ground on a brand new building.

It's been a long, unexpected road for Faith Family Church members, who have been without a building since September when their church of 25 years burned down.

Faith Family Church Assistant Pastor Samantha Roach said she remembers the frightening phone call alerting her that her church was on fire.

"I was personally numb, all our memories, tapes all of our books, everything was gone, because it had burned down to the ground," said Roach.

The building had been there since 1937. Roach and her husband Paul took the church over in the late 1980's. And in one bad thunder storm, the church caught on fire. Firefighters believe the cause may have been electrical.

Without a building for seven months, Faith Family Church began to move forward.

The congregation broke ground to build a brand new building in early April.

The new church will be about 10,000 square feet, seating up to 250 people.

It'll be twice the size of the last sanctuary.

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El Reno Church Begins To Rebuild Months After Fire

April 9, 2015 Updated Apr 10, 2015 at 7:05 AM EDT

Vestal, NY (WBNG Binghamton) A subcommittee of the Vestal School Board has been conducting meetings inside the Vestal United Methodist Church for the past several months. The group met at the church again Thursday.

The Procedures Committee was formed last fall and members said they have had at least six meetings inside the church.

They said the reason for having the meetings at the church is because it is more handicapped accessible than the administrative building where regular board meetings are held.

"The building is quite difficult for handicapped people to get in there because the area where there is a ramp, currently that area is under construction," said Michon Stuart, the school board president.

Members of the board have mixed feelings on the church location.

The board voted six to three in favor of having meetings in the church instead of a school facility earlier this week. The decision has board members and administration split on whether the church is an appropriate meeting place.

I was one of the dissenting votes because I don't think this is appropriate for a public school to be meeting in a church affiliated building," Kim Myers, who is on the school board, said. But in Thursdays meeting, Myers was only an observer.

Myers is concerned people will be uncomfortable attending a public meeting in a church, and may not attend.

"If I went to a different church it wouldn't bother me at all. It will bother some people and some people it will not, David Hanson, the Procedures committee chairman, said. Hanson voted in favor of having the meetings at the church.

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Public school meetings inside church creates controversy

Fire forces bridge players to evacuate Portsmouth church

PORTSMOUTH Crews descended on the First United Methodist Church Tuesday to begin making repairs and cleaning up after a fire broke out in the area of a wall around a front door Monday afternoon.

Fire damage was confined to the wall and door that leads to a hallway outside an activities room, but smoke filled the church, leaving soot in the sanctuary and other rooms and a smoky smell throughout the stone building that dates to the early 1900s.

Fire officials continue to investigate the cause of the blaze, which began just before 1:30 p.m. at the church on Miller Avenue.

Workers from Insurcomm Construction of Portsmouth spent Tuesday scrubbing the inside walls, floors, ceiling and stained glass windows to remove the soot and the odor of smoke.

Outside, carpenters began rebuilding the damaged doors that were removed from the arched front doorway.

Pastor Sue Ellery said the work is expected to be completed in time for the church to hold a memorial service on Saturday, and its weekly worship service on Sunday.

We have a building full of people at work, she said.

Clear plastic was placed over the pews and other furniture as crews cleaned up. Rugs, cushions and fabrics also had to be treated while equipment was brought in to remove the smell of smoke.

Ellery isnt sure how much the repairs and cleanup will cost, but said the church has insurance that should cover the bill.

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Cleanup begins after Portsmouth church fire

Kansas City firefighters rescued two workers overcome by fumes at a church under construction on Tuesday.

Six firefighting units were called to 201 Westport Road at 9:45 a.m. for what was called a "confined space" rescue.

Authorities said that two construction workers were overcome by fumes while they were waterproofing a basement area at Westport Presbyterian Church.

James Garrett of the Kansas City Fire Department said the rescue took a while. He said it was difficult figuring out exactly what the situation was before they could go down and rescue the men.

We had to get our meters down there and check the atmosphere to see exactly what we had and get guys down there with air packs to recover the individuals, Garrett said.

Firefighters lowered equipment down to the two men. They said one of them was up and moving, but the other man was unconscious. Crews were able to lift both men out and got them to a hospital for treatment of respiratory stress. Both men are expected to be OK.

Crews said the workers were using chemicals that contain acetone. They said the men should have been wearing masks, but they were not.

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Emergency crews rescue 2 workers at church construction site

Blue skies and warmer temperatures enabled construction workers to apply shingles to the new sanctuary Friday.Beth Mlady/Special to Sun News

BAY VILLAGE, Ohio - New construction continues on schedule and without issue at St. Raphael Catholic Churchon Dover Center Road. Roofers could be seen applying shingles to the new buildings during warmer temperaturesFriday.

The Phase 2 Expansion Projectreceived Bay Village Planning Commission approval in July 2013 and included plans to build a much larger, fan-shaped worship space to allow for 1,100 pew seats and up to 100 choir members. In addition, large gatherings and funeral luncheons will take place in a new community room.

A capital campaign continues to accumulate pledges toward a nearly attained $7 million goal. Ground was broken last summer, and construction was expected to last up to 15 months. The original altar, stained glass windows and crucifix will be reused in the new sanctuary.

Parishioner and project manager Kris McGivney recently expressed her happiness with the way the project is proceeding.

"Things are going extremely well, and we're very excited about it," McGivney said. "I think one of the highlights was a couple of weeks ago when we let people take a walk through the construction to see where we are. They were all very excited about it, to get a feel for what the new church will look like."

Those March 14 and 15 after-Mass visits enabled parishioners to place decorated stones under the location of the future altar,providing a personal and poignant foundation. People also wrote messages and prayers on the unfinished cement floor.

The Rev. Tim Gareausaid Monday he can't wait for the congregation to become permanently settled in its new home. Before then, he added with a laugh, he will need a new pair of shoes to replace his dust-covered ones due to repeatedly walking daily to and from the construction site.

"There is such living faith here," Gareau said about his parishioners. "People are really on board and excited and enthused. We have such a nice team ... here at St. Raphael. It's the hands and hearts of our people. From the smallest among us to the oldest, we're just all working together as a family to make this happen."

Even priests, he explained, have moments of "fear and trepidation" when faced with a task of this magnitude.

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St. Raphael church construction proceeds smoothly in anticipation of August dedication

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) Good Friday was anything but good for a Bronx church involved in an ongoing rent dispute with its landlord.

The Osborne Association, a nonprofit group that helps men and women coming out of jail to reform their lives, owns the building located at 813 Westchester Ave. in the Morrisania section of the borough.

They lease a portion of the bottom floor to the Word of Life Church, which operates a food pantry that feeds hundreds in the community every week.

The organization claims the church is behind on its rent and started the eviction process last week.

We worked for more than a year to resolve ongoing issues of non-payment with our tenant, but ultimately began eviction proceedings, the group said in a statement.

Marshals went to execute the warrant last Wednesday, but the church got an emergency stay order until April 7.

Osobrne said it hadnt received the papers when they noticed the church back in the building on Good Friday, which is when a representative from the group along with the NYPD came to see what was going on.

Rev. John Udo-Okon told 1010 WINS he was conducting Good Friday service when the property manager tried to break down the door with a sledgehammer.

We were having service and we heard this heavy banging on the door and people began running, Udo-Okon said. Children were running and my wife and I ran from the pulpit.

Udo-Okon said the two police officers had their guns drawn.

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Landlord Breaks Down Churchs Door On Good Friday Over Rent Dispute

Crews begin work on sidewalks despite Church Street remaining open on Monday. /Matthew Thielke

OTTUMWA, IOWA -- Rain is already causing some delays to another major reconstruction project on Ottumwas south side before it even started.

Church St. was scheduled to be closed from five corners to Ransom St. starting Monday, but the threat of rain caused crews to push the closure back to possibly Monday night.

Once Church St. closes, it will not reopen until full completion in an estimated 10 weeks.

The city will be taking out all of the street and sidewalk to install new water and sewer lines, as well and installing new sidewalks and streetscape designs.

All of this is starting while city is in the middle of another major project on Richmond Ave., just a few blocks away.

There's also a big project going on through the Richmond Ave. corridor, so really that portion of the Southside is very difficult to travel, said Tom Rodgers, Ottumwa Public Information Officer. Drivers do need to be aware of the detours and plan ahead when traveling to avoid delays.

Businesses on Church St. will remain open during the project and access for cars will be available behind the stores.

Anyone with questions about the construction projects is encouraged to contact the Ottumwa City Engineering Department.

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Threat of rain delays Church Street construction

Tom DeVocht #39;Going Clear #39; Source: Alex Gibneys HardHat Hustler
See more at: http://www.freedommag.org/hbo/videos/tom-devocht.html Former construction worker and Alex Gibney source Tom DeVocht is good at building one thing webs of lies and deception....

By: Freedom Media Ethics

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Tom DeVocht 'Going Clear' Source: Alex Gibneys HardHat Hustler - Video

Rick Bowmer / AP

President Thomas S. Monson of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints looks on at the Mormon church conference Saturday, April 4, 2015, in Salt Lake City. More than 100,000 Mormons descended on Salt Lake City for the faiths biannual conference to listen to spiritual guidance from leaders and to learn about church news. This year marks the conferences 185thyear.

By The Associated Press

Sunday, April 5, 2015 | 7:28 p.m.

Salt Lake City

Mormon church President Thomas S. Monson used the closing day of the faith's biannual conference to announce plans for three new temples in Africa, Southeast Asia and the Caribbean.

Monson said Sunday the temples will be built in Bangkok, Thailand; Abidjan, Ivory Coast; and Port-au-Prince, Haiti. It will be the church's first temples in the three countries and will spare Mormons there long trips to reach temples in other countries.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints operates 144 temples worldwide, with some 30 more either being announced or under construction.

Mormons view temples as sacred houses of God, where they take part in eternal marriage and their faith's other highest sacraments. They hold Sunday services in chapels or meetinghouses.

Monson, considered a prophet of God by 15 million Mormons, emphasized that temple attendance can provide members strength and peace in times of trial and temptation.

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Mormon church president announces plans for 3 new temples