MANITOWOC, Wis. (WFRV) - First German Lutheran Church in downtown Manitowoc held a special service on Sunday in dedication to their refurbished pipe organ. Organists for the service were former First German Lutheran School teachers and organists, Carl Nolte from Milwaukee and Joshua Wendt from Saginaw, Michigan. Feed the Body, Feed the Soul event in Oshkosh packages 200K pounds of rice The dedication service began at 9 and there was also a recital at the church later Sunday afternoon for another chance to debut the organ featuring music by Buxtehude, Mendelssohn, Walcha, Barber, Widor, and J.S. Bach. The historic pipe organ at First German Lutheran was originally installed in 1919. In 2022, the members of First German began planning the refurbishment of their historic instrument as a thank-you for the 150th anniversary of the First German sanctuary. "Three, four years ago we were continually having issues with the organ and it gave us an opportunity of updating all the infrastructure for the organ and still maintaining the historical pipes and sound," said Joel Ungemach, the First German Lutheran Organ Committee Chairman. Ungemach went on to say the Schantz Organ Company was selected to remove, refurbish, and reinstall the organ during the early part of 2024. Also a member of the Organ Committee is Jennifer Knutson, who acts as Secretary for the committee. She said, that as a musician and history buff, having the organ back and better than before means so much. "Mozart was right when he said the organ is the king of the instruments, and I was able to play it over the summer for services as well and it gave me such a thrill," stated Knutson. As for First German Lutheran Pastor Jacob Hoff, he said it was a blessing to hear all the beautiful voices singing with the organ that still echoes throughout the church after so many years. "After a long time and a lot of hard work by a lot of people, to be able to have guest musicians and special music and to really show what this organ is capable of, it meant a lot to a lot of people here," said First German Lutheran Pastor Jacob Hoff. Mark Zarling, a former First German Lutheran Organ Committee member and retired Pastor, attended the Sunday morning service and was overjoyed to see the organ, that has brought so many voices together, restored to its former glory. Packers fans react to home opener win against Colts "105 years old, and to be able to refurbish it and rebuild it," stated Zarling. "It helps people even in a subconscious way." The congregation is located at 1033 South 8th St. in Manitowoc, directly across from the Manitowoc County Courthouse.