May 10, 2012

Dear St. Francis parishioner,

On April 17, we wrote to you to share the exciting news that we had been given the opportunity to accept as a gift The Hook and Hastings Opus 2344 Organ from Christ Church, South Barre. Last night the vestry voted unanimously and enthusiastically to accept this organ as a gift from the former parishioners at Christ Church and from the Diocese. There is no cost to us for this organ itself, which is in excellent condition.

You may remember we also told you in our letter, however, that there would be costs associated with moving the organ, refurbishing its leather parts, cleaning all its components, and in installing it (including tuning). There are also additional costs to replace the old blower as well as removing the speakers of the current organ. Our expectation is to begin installation of the organ sometime after the Bishop's Visit on May 19th.

The actual construction period will take weeks, not months. We expect to be ready by August to have this instrument as part of our life together. The total amount we need to raise to have the organ installed and in "play ready" condition is $55,600. Our payments will be as follows: our first payment of $22,800 will be needed to initiate the project and get on Organ Clearing House's schedule; our second payment of $22,800 is due when the dismantled organ is delivered to St. Francis Church; our final payment of $10,000 is due when the project is completed.

As of last night when the vestry voted, we had $9,100 in pledges for this project. We also agreed to "roll over" the balance of $1,911.93 (as of April 30, 2012) left in the Capital Campaign Fund; as you may recall, starting an organ reserve fund was part of the original plan for the Capital Campaign, although we had hoped the amount might be greater at the time. This means we already have raised or have available $11,011.93, which leaves us with $44,588.07 to be raised as soon as we are able.

We need your help! The organ has over 400 pipes! At $150/pipe we would have the funds we need to pay the costs of having this wonderful gift at St. Francis. We hope you will sponsor one or more pipes (or five, or ten, or maybe even twenty pipes) until we reach our goal. We will be compiling a booklet of the names of donors that will be included when the organ is dedicated sometime later in the fall; if you do not wish to have your name or the name of another included please note that your gift is to be "anonymous."

Thanks to all of you who have provided us with such valuable feedback as we have considered this gift, with a special thank you to those who have already pledged their financial support. Your response has been overwhelmingly positive and supportive. We now look forward to our next steps together - including the shared challenge of purchasing this marvelous instrument.

We hope you will consider a donation to the organ fund. If you are able, we ask you to use the form attached and return it to the church by mail or place it in the offering plate. Please be sure that any donations clearly indicate that they are intended for the organ fund.

Faithfully,

Craig Stanovich

Bev Giarusso

Wardens