This past Thursday was a concert for the ages in the Fellowship Hall of Zion Lutheran Church with special guest and organist, David Rankin.
The concert was to showcase the organ that was installed by David in October of last year after Scott Lewis’s many attempts to find someone, anyone, to either fix the organ they had or replace it.
After many failed attempts to reach someone who would return a call or answer an email, Scott found David up in Ellsworth, Kansas, and according to Scott, he was a huge blessing for not only the job, but for the church as a whole.
“For those of us who are sinners, we talk about God things and this is God thing to me and our church,” Scott said. “David and I first made contact about four years ago, but before that, were trying to get somebody to fix our old organ. I went to the Rodgers Organ website and they had locator map. There was one in Dallas and that was my first contact, so I called and guess what? No one answered the phone, so I left a message. I thought maybe they would call back in two or three days-they didn’t. I emailed them-didn’t respond. I waited for a week or two, but I guess Dallas didn’t want to come to Pampa, Texas.”
“So I go back to the locator map and there was Oklahoma City and Tulsa. I called and the numbers were no longer working. So back to the map, and there was Albuquerque, New Mexico. They answered the phone and I was excited. I tell them what was going on and they asked where we were at and I told them Pampa, Texas. They said, ‘we don’t come to Texas.’ So I go back to the map and there’s Ellsworth, Kansas and it’s way up there. I call and I leave a message. Well I’ve been leaving messages all along, but lo and behold, about two hours later my phone rings and it says Ellsworth, Kansas, and it was David.”
“He talked to me and he listened. He said he would get back to me because he had to have the ‘okay’ from Rodgers in Dallas before he could cross territory lines. He ended up coming down later that year and it’s been a blessing to our church and you get to experience how great this man is and his capabilities with this organ.”
Before David took his seat on the bench in front of the beautiful organ, he shared a few words with the audience as well, sharing with them the devastation he felt when he lost his left hand and forearm in 2006, and how by the grace of God he was able to keep doing what he loved.
“This has been a really fun, almost last project for me,” David said. “My wife and I are finally retired, and this was one of the last projects I did. God works in mysterious and wonderful ways, and he really had to shove me to get me back to playing the organ. It is a pleasure and a joy to be here tonight. It’s a privilege to include each of you in this process because the most fun I have is leading people to sing.”
“Singing during church is also praying, it’s learning, and it’s experiencing community and doing something together regardless of our background and regardless if we can carry a tune,” he laughed. “But we’re making a joyful noise. So tonight, sing loud.”
The program consisted of selected hymns that the audience was encouraged to sing along to, and sing they absolutely did. The hymns included ‘Praise to the Lord, the Almighty’, ‘Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee’, ‘Lamb of God’, ‘A Mighty Fortress’, and ‘All People That on Earth Do Dwell’, as well as the patriotic songs ‘My Country ‘Tis of Thee’ and ‘America the Beautiful’, with organ solos in between each song, the room constantly filled with beautiful music and voices.
The evening was truly something to be experienced, and knowing David’s story and the church’s story as well, that hour-long concert will certainly be carried in the hearts of those who were there to witness it, myself included.
