Rodgers Organ Weathers Direct Hit by Kansas Tornado

July 3, 2008

When a tornado struck central Kansas in June, it carved a trail of ruin six blocks wide through the small town of Chapman. But after it was over, a Rodgers representative checking the organ inside the heavily damaged sanctuary of Chapman United Methodist Church switched on the console and found it playing as well as ever.

Mike Combs, owner of Combs Organ Specialists in Newton, Kansas, got a call from the church's organist not long after the disaster. "We disassembled the organ, inspected all the circuit boards, power supplies, contacts, etc., and could find nothing wrong in the console," he reported. "We re-connected the console to temporary power, turned it on and it played with absolutely no problems."

The church has a Rodgers 905 three-manual digital console that was installed in 2000. Mr. Combs said because of its position in the sanctuary, it was protected from falling debris. The organ speakers, which were located in a different part of the room, were less fortunate ─ most were buried by rubble, and one vanished entirely. But even the damaged speakers still worked, including a subwoofer with an eight-inch hole in its side, he said.

Combs Organ Specialists plans to replace the speakers, as well as the organ bench, which suffered water damage.

The tornado slammed into Chapman, a town of 1,400 residents about 140 miles west of Kansas City, on June 11. According to an Associated Press report, one person was killed and about 100 homes were destroyed or heavily damaged. Officials said 80 percent of the community's buildings suffered at least some harm, including both the Methodist and Lutheran churches.

Since the tornado, the Chapman United Methodist Church congregation has been temporarily meeting for worship in a nearby auto racing museum, said Joan Taylor, a member of the congregation's lay leadership. Members are grateful that not only was the organ spared, but the large cross that stood in a niche of a wall that fell also escaped damage. Normally, between 100 and 120 worshippers attend on Sunday but since the church was hit, "attendance is up," she said.

Rodgers Instruments is the world's largest builder of stereo imaged church organs and pipe-digital organs. Rodgers is a member of the Roland Group, headed by Roland Corporation, a world leader in electronic musical instrument technologies and electronic musical instrument sales and manufacturing.