WATERVILLE -- Refurbished and rebuilt with a $165,000 investment, the Berkshire organ at First Congregational Church boasts a new look and voice with the addition of more than 800 pipes, increasing the total to about 2,000.

On Sunday, the power of this revitalized musical being will be on full display as accomplished organist Willis Bodine performs a dedication recital at 3 p.m. that will be free and open to all.

"The afternoon program," First Congregational Pastor Alice Anderman said, "is to show off the organ."

It also is the culmination of a long process.

Alice Anderman and husband David Anderman, First Congregational Church's pastoral team, saw the project through from start to finish, beginning with the decision four years ago to raise $175,000 ($10,000 will be dedicated to a ongoing maintenance fund) to expand and restore the organ.

In a technical sense, the organ will make its post-makeover debut Sunday morning at the church's regular service.

But Bodine will test the full range and beauty of the instrument when he plays the organ that afternoon.

William F. Czelusniak will be one of the people in attendance for the recital and his interest will be that of a proud father -- this, after all, is his baby.

Czelusniak, a full-time organ builder since 1975, is the architect behind the restoration.

His challenge was daunting.

In rebuilding the organ, Czelusniak said he had to consider visual, acoustic, musical and physical factors.

Each presented its own set of difficulties and whatever decision he made with one of the variables had an impact on the others.

Visual and physical considerations, for instance, went hand and hand.

Czelusniak could not change the size of the sanctuary or the shape of the ceiling.

Instead, he had to work within the opportunities and restrictions of those dimensions.

"One of the issues," he said, "was how long could we make the central pipe on each side (of the organ console) and still fit them under the curved ceiling in a way that they would still speak in their natural pitch or, rather, the pitch that was needed."

David Anderman said Czelusniak's greatest challenge was integrating those four central factors in a way that each supported and enhanced the other, thereby a creating a whole greater than the sums of its part.

Czelusniak said he went through many stages in the project and doesn't recall having one restful night's sleep the entire time.

Nor, he said, did have any nights when he awoke with a "eureka" insight.

"It was more like waking in the middle of the night," he said, "and saying 'How are we going to do this?'"

But Czelusniak found a way, ultimately, and Sunday his creation, the restored pipe organ of First Congregational Church, will sing with its new voice.

Colin Hickey -- 861-9205

chickey@centralmaine.com