Organ back in play at Wolverhampton church
The oldest church in Wolverhampton has once more reverberated to the sounds of its organ following a special service.
St Peter's Church began work on its organ in February 2018 after the organ began to fail and not produce the sounds required for the church.
The work, which involved restoring the organ and front facing pipes and a full re-tuning, was completed in time for the Festival Service of Nine Lessons on Sunday, December 22.
The service saw the organ officially re-dedicated to the church in a ceremony conducted by the Bishop of Wolverhampton, the Rt Rev. Clive Gregory.
The ceremony saw the Rt Rev. Gregory welcome the congregation, then turn to the organ and sprinkle it with holy water, before giving the final blessing and dedication.
The nine lessons service saw more than 400 people join together in worship, with the sounds of the newly restored organ playing a central role in proceedings.
The bulk of the playing was done by William Peart, the Assistant Director of Music at the church, with the choir directed by Hamish Dustagheer, Director of Music.
The Team Rector of St Peter's Church, Rev. David Wright, spoke about how the re-dedication fit into the service.
He said: "It was a deliberate decision to have the re-dedication ceremony as part of an act of worship, as a reminder that our music in general and the organ's role at the heart of it are directed to the glory of God."
The organ will feature at the church's inaugural celebrity recital by Ian Tracey, organist at Liverpool Cathedral, on Saturday, June 6 2020.
