Indiana church's 1903 pipe organ hitting all the notes again

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) - A northern Indiana church's more than century-old pipe organ is back in full working order after decades of not hitting all the notes.

South Bend residents heard the newly restored organ during Christmas services at St. Paul's Memorial United Methodist Church. The 1903 organ's $450,000 restoration was long in coming. Some of its pipes had stopped working decades ago and duct tape held other parts together.

Pastor Tom Thews tells the South Bend Tribune that before the recent restoration there was "no one alive who heard the organ fully functional."

Bellwood, Illinois-based Berghaus Pipe Organ Builders restored some 1,900 pipes and other parts of the big musical instrument.

A nonprofit called Friends of St. Paul's is accepting donations for the restoration through a GoFundMe web page.

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Information from: South Bend Tribune, http://www.southbendtribune.com