HOWARD LAKE, Minn — At St. John's Lutheran Church in Howard Lake, the 55-year-old organ led the parish in times of joy and hardship.
Now it's the parishioners' turn to take care of it.
“To build this new instrument, our budget is $300,000,” said St. John’s Pastor Paul Koch.
Koch knew he needed to do something big to raise money for repairs. So he agreed to host "Hymnstock.”
“This is where we’re going to sing for the next 24 hours, every song in the hymnal,” he smiled before the event kicked off.
There are 569 songs in the church’s Lutheran hymnal that Koch will sing in succession, while parishioners and community members filter in and out of the pews to keep him company.
“There’s never a wrong time of day to sing,” he told the congregation before "Hymnstock" began.
Then, they sang.
The idea to hold the marathon was thought of by Pastor Koch's four children, who suggested it happen when the church reached its goal's halfway point.
The kids are used to their dad’s commitment to quirky ideas for raising money. One of them featured Koch singing during a pastor version of "Carpool Karaoke." He has also turned himself into a human sundae.
For this fundraiser, Koch spent months training his voice — even turning to a vocal teacher for help.
“I’ve been exercising; I've been jogging; I've done a couch-to-5k workout plan to be physically fit to sing for hours,” said Koch.
“He didn’t realize what he got himself into,” said Nancy Deiter, one of 35 organists taking turns at the keys over the next 24 hours. “Now we have this.”
Normally, Koch admits his voice carries through the congregation when he joins them to sing. But in order for him to sing for a day straight, he sang much quieter. It helps him stay hydrated, but that means he'll occasionally get up from the pews and finish the melody in the men’s room.
Throughout its more than five decades of life, the organ witnessed and scored countless moments, but perhaps no one has played its keys more than Grant Judd.
“We have been blessed with Grant Judd,” said church-goer Cindy Heuer. “He played with depth and beauty.”
Judd passed away years ago, but it was always a dream of his to properly fix up the instrument he loved so much.
“My dad was the organist here for 45 years,” Judd's son, Dan, said as he smiled. “And he would have absolutely loved this.”
Dan hadn't been back to the church in a while, but when he entered, felt the nostalgia of hearing his father’s organ for the first time in years.
“It gave me chills,” he said. “It was hard to sing. You know, it just brought a lot of memories.”
At all times, dozens of people sat in the pews to keep Koch company. Even in the early hours of the morning, folks yawned through a hymn or two, and his children curled up in the back rooms.
Around 2 a.m., an organist from Germany Zoomed in, and the congregation sang along.
The church also kept a Facebook Live going for folks to listen and donate.
The pews filled quickly around 9 a.m. the next day, just a few hours until the marathon was expected to end. Then, 26 hours and 569 hymns later, the final note on the organ played as cheers erupted.
“We did it!” cried Koch. “We did it.”
The church raised $14,000 that day, but is still $100,000 away from its goal.
If you'd like to help, you can donate to the St. John's Organ Project here.