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Lakehills
United Methodist Church
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The phone call came in on Saturday afternoon, April
21, 2001 and recognizing Dean Pate's voice I was
pleasantly surprised at his question, “Doris, will you ring the church
bell at our 8 a.m. worship service tomorrow?” My heart began to race as
I joyously said “YES!”
My worship experience began at Lakehills United Methodist Church in March 1972 and in all those years (when our bell was hanging in the belfry in our old sanctuary) I had never rung Our Bell. Having witnessed many children (like Sherry Oehler Hearn) being lifted up by Jack Thornton to ring our bell, it never entered my mind to ring it. Our bell has a unique history, it is an old plantation bell that had previously hung in a small black church in Mississippi. It was donated to Lakehills Methodist Church by John & Virginia Provance.Our bell had been silent for a few years before the old sanctuary building had been remolded and the new building constructed so it has been much too long since our bell has pealed on Sunday morning. Why is it so exciting for me that after so many years our bell is ringing again? Because church bells have become a part of our country's past. New church sanctuaries being built have steeples but no bell. Because of our church trustees' efforts, we are recovering some of our history. Have you ever wondered why churches have bells? According to internet information (things we already knew): “A bell announces to the people that service is surely set for the day. It serves as a general invitation to all within hearing to come to the House of God. The stranger who has just entered the place to settle, and the stranger stopping at the hotel, as well as members of the church, count themselves welcomed by cordial tones. The bell serves to awaken the consciences of some in whom the habit of church going has become weak. To those who do not know the location of the church, it declares the way; to those who would forget the hour of service, it points the time. It is, in fact, the general voice of mother church herself, to the world without, exhorting it to attend her courts. In short, a church bell is a possession and a treasure to the whole community in the midst of which it is placed.” Have you seen our new bell tower that is holding our bell? Have you been to worship since Easter to hear that gorgeous sound? Our bell has been ringing at 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. every Sunday calling you to come home to worship. Blessings, Doris Keslar P.S. Thank you Dean Pate for our new bell tower and to Debbie Rettko for Internet information. |
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