United Evangelical Lutheran Church, Swiss Alp, Schulenburg, TX

A BRIEF ORGAN HISTORY THRU SEPTEMBER 2007
PHILADELPHIA & UNITED EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH
SWISS ALP, FAYETTE COUNTY, TEXAS
Gale since we are going to be talking about organs would you please come up here because I certainly don’t know much about organs and we need someone up here that knows a lot about organs.
We are here today to dedicate our new state of the art, high technology pipe organ sounding organ. Those of you who are younger unless you have seen one at your grandmother’s house or a museum, may not know that the first organs were pump organs that had to be pedaled with the feet while at the same time playing the keys with the hands.
We must assume that there was a pump organ in our church before 1903 because in that year a new organ was purchased for $150 and the congregation voted to sell the old organ to the highest bidder.
Adolph Bauer and Weldon Roitsch offered to play free of charge and their offer was accepted.
In 1908, Willie Bauer (father of Leona Bauer and a member here for 70 years) and Louis Gebert began to serve as organists.
In 1924 the congregation voted to pay the organist, Mrs. Marie Jochen $20. (I presume that was for the year)(she was the mother-in-law of Thelma Jochen).
With the aid of the ‘Frauen Verein’ (Women’s Organization) and the Luther League (young people’s organization) a new organ was purchased in 1930 for $319. (Note: This must have been another pump organ as this was before electricity in the church; electricity was installed in 1938.)
After World War II was over, in 1949, a used pipe organ was purchased for $750. by the Ladies Aid Society which had established an organ fund some time before.
In 1955, a new Baldwin Organ was given in memory of Mr. & Mrs. Henry Roitsch by their children. Marie Jochen and Lucy Greenschield served as organists.

Up until this time the organs were all at the front of the church on the floor level.
From an undated set of council minutes we have this quote: “Mr. President opened discussion on the Clara Roitsch Memorial gift to the church. Since the church is in need of a new organ, this would be a good way to use her gift. The chairman appointed a committee of Mr. & Mrs. John Koenig, Mrs. Earl Greenshield, Gale Minsenmeyer and Pastor Mattson to look at different organs and report back.”
At the October 12, 1976 Church Council Meeting we have a report:
“Mr. John Koenig reported for the music committee. They had gone to Austin and shopped the different music centers and decided that the Frederich Music Company, distributors of the Allen Organ, had the best instrument.” Walter Roeder moved to accept the recommendation of the music committee to purchase the Allen Organ, as a memorial in honor of Miss Clara Roitsch and a gift from the Eldon Knape family. Albert Ernstes seconded it. Motion Carried.
In 1976 the new Allen Organ was purchased. In December of 1976 Organists Mrs. Earl Greenshield, Mrs. John Koenig and Miss Gale Minzenmeyer were given a $25. Christmas gift by the congregation.
Albert Ernstes remembers that this was the first organ to be placed on the balcony. After they had removed the banister, He and Elmo Minzenmeyer, with a fork-lift owned by Elroy Zimmerman as driver hoisted the new organ up and by stacking pallets under the organ time and time again finally getting it onto the balcony. What a scary operation. There were some other people present to help, one was the representative of the Frederich Music Company and he said “You drop it and it is yours”.
Gale, after a lot of music lessons and a lot of time practicing, you became a substitute organist while you were a sophomore in high school and after Mrs. Greenshield became ill at the organ during the worship service, Pastor Mattson said, “Gale you take over”. Then you became the organist and when you were in college you came home every week-end from A & M for four years to play the organ for this congregation. Wow! That takes some dedication on the part of a college student. And you haven’t missed since. You have been married to that old Allen Organ longer than to Gary.
In 2007 after 31 years of service the Allen Organ was again brought down from the balcony and traded in for a new Ahlborn-Galanti Organ (the electronic organ for pipe organ people) that was given by an anonymous donor and which we are dedicating to the glory of God today, September 30, 2007.
Gale, if she wasn’t Betty’s sister, who was organist for the 13 years while I was Pastor at Knippa, I would say that you are the best organist I have ever had the privilege of working with. But you have to be careful with family.
Whenever I called you with a selection of hymns you were always very kind when I selected a hymn that was not well known to the congregation. You would say, “Pastor Hildebrandt, I don’t think we ought to use that hymn because it is too difficult to sing.” I appreciated that because it was good advice in that people should enjoy singing hymns that they know. I also want to thank you for covering mistakes that I made during the service, like forgetting the offering or the Lord’s Prayer or the children’s sermon or the installation of church council or you name it, you helped me out of many a difficult situation and I know you are still being very helpful to Pastor Lemae.
So this day not only do we dedicate a new organ but we also salute your dedication to this congregation and salute your musical gift that you have shared with all of us for 34 plus years. I say thank you and the congregation says thank you.
And Gary and John………Why don’t you come up here also. Your support and dedication have made Gale’s diligence and contributions possible.
And Gale, we would like to present to you this as a small token of our very large appreciation for the years past with the anticipation of 30 plus more years to come as organists of United Evangelical Lutheran Church, Swiss Alp!
Let’s show our appreciation by standing and applauding Gale, Gary and John.