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In 2025

Apr 27, 3 p.m. Isabella Demers, international organist
The St. Mark’s Lutheran Church Foundation of Marion, Iowa is pleased to introduce a restored 1928 Ernest M. Skinner pipe organ.  On November 11, 2012 Opus 695 was played for the first time in many years. It was immediately evident Opus 695 was a perfect match for its new home in the Faith Worship Center at FaithLife Lutheran Church, formerly known as St. Mark's Lutheran Church.
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Originally installed at St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Bronx, New York, Opus 695 was purchased by the St. Mark’s Foundation early in 2011. After dismantling the instrument it was shipped to the workshop of organ curator JL Weiler, Inc. in Chicago.
PictureBarbara Ritchie, organist, seated at Opus 695 in 2023.








​Over the next year-and-a-half, Jeff and his associates lovingly restored the instrument without alterations to pristine playing condition. All parts were meticulously dismantled, cleaned, refinished, and rebuilt. Opus 695 was re-leathered and extensively rewired to insure its viability for decades to come. The organ is wholly original and intact as conceived and built in the Massachusetts workshops of the Skinner Company.
Opus 695 pipe organ speaks with such clarity, quality, and vitality that it has already acquired a reputation as one of the finest Skinner restorations in the nation. The success of this project is a tribute to the brilliant craftsmanship of the Weiler team, the conceptual qualities of the space created by Gary Landhauser, architect for Design Associates of Cedar Rapids, and to the organ expertise and superb acoustical services of Scott Riedel & Associates of Milwaukee..
FaithLife Church, formerly known as St. Mark's Lutheran Church, is a Lutheran congregation affiliated with the LCMC, Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ. Our Lutheran history and heritage go back more than 125 years, to 1886, when the congregation was founded. Our source for all teaching is the Bible, the inspired Word of God. 
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Click here for directions for how to find us at 8300 C Ave NE. We are located in northeast Cedar Rapids, just north of the intersection of C Avenue NE and East Robins Road (Marion)..

Mission Statement

The congregation of FaithLife Lutheran Church recognized a pipe organ serves an important role in the worship and music life of its faith community. Always E. M. Skinner Opus 695 shall speak in praise, glorifying God, and leading worshipers in song. Further, Opus 695 presents opportunities for FaithLife Church to reach out to the larger community, creating an attractive venue where all are invited to hear great music.​

Opie's Great Adventure

A hardbound children´s book telling the story of how Opus 695 came to be at FaithLife Lutheran Church is now available for purchase through the church office for $15 and also available on Amazon.com.​
St Mark's Lutheran Church Foundation   (c) 2016                                                                                                                                                    Following us on Facebook