David, the Organ Tech

Uncategorized 2 Minutes

Several weeks ago grandson David learned how to make the organ play music that the regular organist had recorded. Today was the first time it was done for a service. This is the way it looked in the bulletin.

He went upstairs immediately and got everything set up. I heard him test a few things and took a photo of him before sitting down in the congregation.

I took another picture from my seat. Everything was timed perfectly. The prelude played, followed by the ringing of the outside bell. I knew he was getting off the organ bench and pressing a button on the back wall to make the bell ring. Pastor made announcements, and the service began. There were several times I expected the people to sing responses, but we spoke them. Other than that, everything seemed normal.

After the service, David came toward me. I could see by his beaming face that he was very pleased. The adrenaline was probably still flowing. Some people thought Lula, the regular organist, had been upstairs. Others read the bulletin and mistakenly thought David was playing the keys himself. It wasn’t until we were driving home that he told me we were supposed to have sung responses as usual. I don’t know whether Pastor rushed things or the people didn’t hear the soft introductory note. David was able to skip those bits and come in with the next music right on time. I didn’t ask if the same thing happened in the late service.

When daughter Kate texted me, I asked if she knew David was running the organ. Yes, she knew it was happening. She surprised me by saying, “I saw you sitting by Susan.”

I knew she attended our service on line from New Jersey from time to time, but I never thought about her watching me on live-stream. Thankfully, she was much more on the ball than I was. If she had missed it, she could have seen the recording later.

People congratulated David after both services, and that did my heart good. It’s always lovely to be recognized when you’ve done something new and different. I was amazed that he didn’t seem nervous and was able to keep things on track after a bobble. Good job, David! I am so very proud of you!

Published by Anne Mehrling

I'm a retiree who loves to write about life in the mountains of North Carolina.

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29 thoughts on “David, the Organ Tech”

    1. They couldn’t find anyone to play the organ, although I think there might have been people who could have played the piano. It was quite magical that the regular organist was the one actually playing, though probably 100 miles away. She knows what the congregation is used to.

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  9. This is so inspirational. Our local church is asking for tech people and I’ve been intrigued but hesitant. Maybe I should just go for it.

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  13. Great news for David – no wonder you and others are so proud of him. I see in the comment above, that Lise is here – that’s great. You’ll have lots of family gathering around for John’s memorial service a week from today.

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