The first pipe organ to be placed at the Bethlehem Church was in 1921 when M. P. Möller of Hagerstown, MD installed a 2 manual, 12 rank organ in the new church. This was after the old church was destroyed in the 1919 tornado. Winona Reiten was the organist and played until her retirement in 1957.
In 1950, an addition was placed on the church for parish education and offices while the sanctuary was extended to the north. Some felt that the existing instrument was too small and hired Gottfred Nelson of Dalton, MN to find them a larger instrument. He recommended that the church purchase a used Möller organ from the First Reformed Church of Easton, PA, an instrument of 2 manuals and 16 ranks which was built in 1906. Organ builders have long been of the opinion that the early Möller’s like this 1906 model were better voiced than those from the 1920’s up to 1946, as the later organs did not have the warm clear tones of the earlier organs.
The “New” organ was then installed in a single chamber above the north chancel wall which resulted in a very over-crowded installation. The organ was difficult to properly service and the 1906 windchests were in poor condition. Everyone agreed that this organ had an incredible tone and something should be done to preserve the organ and not compromise its tonal integrity.
In 1962, Lance E. Johnson, a member of Bethlehem and recent founder of Johnson Organ Company volunteered to contract the moving of the organ to the balcony and provide more pipes (eight ranks) as well as new windchests. This project was performed for the cost of materials only as all labor was voluntary.
Since the completion of the organ in 1963, the windchests have been wet numerous times and the leather actions had become worn, while the pipework for the most part remained in mint condition.
In 2007 a contract was signed to rebuild the entire instrument. The console was replaced with a terraced console with drawknobs. The chests were replaced with electric pulldown slider chests. The original Möller pipework was retained and several new stops were added bringing the instrument up to 3 manuals, 28 ranks. Voicing and tonal finishing was performed by Fred Heffner and Michael Johnson.
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