At Bedford Park Congregational Church, members maintain one foot in the past, and the other in the future.

The past: A historic, 124-year-old rustic church at the intersection of East 201st Street and Bainbridge Avenue, whose architecture representing a bygone era earned a landmark designation by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission in 2000.

“This is the way it was when I first got here,” said Annette Porter, president of the church’s Board of Trustees, looking back when she first began worshipping at the church twenty years ago.

The future: Preserving the past.

Such has been the case for churchgoers, who’ve now settled into a restoration period for the church following some lengthy years in cobbling funds for renovation work. They’ve now turned their attention at reviving a 58-year-old Möller pipe organ, out of order for the last decade. Having sat on the backburner, the wooden instrument stands as a kind of relic, its somber hums unheard for some time. Sure, a traditional piano played by organist Vladimir Yudilevich serves as a faithful substitute, but for Rev. Dr. Christopher Ponnuraj, the church’s pastor, the organ lends a kind of divine vibe missing at Sunday services.

“If you can hear the sound of the organ it gives [the service] a different flavor,” said Ponnuraj, speaking to the Norwood News from inside the church, a cozy religious home unlike some of the more spacious neighboring churches.

The price to fix the organ ranges from $87,000 is $179,000, depending on how far church organizers want to restore the piece. They’re the more preferred option, given the $250,000 tagged to replace the organ altogether. Church officials have raised these kinds of funds before. On Oct. 24, it’s set to hold a fundraiser, with all proceeds going to renovate the organ.

The latest project marks another point in the church’s restoration period, with various top-down renovation projects completed to fix the sanctuary’s crumbling facade. A massive, $100,000 roof job was made to repair its leaky roofs while preserving the Romanesque style tower, no easy feat. The church raised $50,000 to fix the church thanks to fundraisers, dinners, and bake sales. Matching funds were awarded by the New York Landmarks Conservancy, a group that offers grants and low-interest loans for landmarked structures.

And even as BPCC juggles a number of projects, it hasn’t forgotten its flock of some fifty members. In the last year, members organized a trip to Israel, participated in the yearly fundraiser, and held its first-ever back-to-school giveaway where families “made an afternoon of it,” according to Porter.

“Everybody felt so great about doing this program,” said Ponnuraj. “We’re going to have an evaluation next week when we have our Board of Trustees meeting, and I think we’re going to get a 100 percent appreciation for that.”

Those events coincided with offering funds to Doctors Without Borders, a toy drive in partnership with St. Barnabas Hospital in Belmont, scholarships to college-bound church members, and maintaining a community garden.

“We’re trying to involve ourselves in all giving,” said Ponnuraj. “We not only receive, we also like to give to others. And I always believe that if you give, God provides you. You get a blessing back in your life.”

Editor’s Note: Services at Bedford Park Congregational Church take place every Sunday at 11 a.m. Bible studies are held every Friday at 7:30 p.m. Church members plan to celebrate the church’s 127-year history on Sept. 29.