MIAMI BEACH — What does a church do when it receives a 1927 Wurlitzer organ that was once used to provide the sound track to silent movies as a donation? If the church is St. John’s United Methodist Church here, it installs the organ in its sanctuary and begins using it to reach out to the community in new and creative ways.

That’s exactly what’s happening now, according to the Rev. Carol Hoffman-Guzman, a deacon in full connection working at the church. “What it means is we have a cultural treasure—a part of Americana,” she said.

The organ was donated to the Arts at St. John’s, a non-profit corporation formed by the church, but separate from the church, so it can receive donations and government assistance, according to Hoffman-Guzman.

“We started the arts program as a form of evangelism, and it has served as an outreach ministry,” she said. “But it also draws these one-of-a-kind events.”

The South Florida Theatre Organ Society was looking for a home for an $80,000 antique organ. The society learned about St. John’s through a member of the church who works for the city of Miami Beach.

“It fits in with our church,” Hoffman-Guzman said. “We’re celebrating the 50th anniversary of our physical church and planning to apply for historical status. Our neighborhood was recently recommended for historical status.”

The organ also fits in the church, she said. When the church was built, it included chambers for a pipe organ, but they were never used because cheaper electric organs were invented.

The organ will stretch from the church’s basement, where the blowers will be located, to the second story, which will house the pipes, whistles, bell, cymbals, horns and other sound-effect generators used to bring silent movies to life, according to Hoffman-Guzman.

Hoffman-Guzman says it will cost about $80,000 to install the organ. A big part of the expense is the rarity of people who know how to properly install this kind of organ.

“There are very few of these organs left,” Hoffman-Guzman said. “There’s only one functioning in South Florida. There are also not too many people who can play these organs…and there are only four or five people in the United States who know how to install these properly. It’s one huge puzzle to put it together the right way so it will work.”

The Arts at St. John’s is already raising the money for the installation. It has been approved for a $16,000 matching grant from the Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Council and is expecting approximately $3,000 from the American Theatre Organ Society.

The Organ Society has asked to use the organ three times each year. The Arts at St. John’s is planning to use it about once a month. Hoffman-Guzman said they will hold concerts of Americana music and silent film festivals and invite the community to participate.

The Arts at St. John’s also hopes to partner with local university music departments to teach students how to play this organ and “learn this dying art form,” Hoffman-Guzman said.

The organ will not be used for worship, though. “It has a different range than a classical organ, so it’s not easy to play things people might hear in church,” Hoffman-Guzman said.