Broadview

By Janice Young

Beyond the comforting tones calling people to worship, church bells have always played a key role in communities. They’ve tolled in collective mourning; they’ve sounded the alarm on fires, storms and even invasions; they’ve summoned the townsfolk to meetings; they’ve marked community-wide curfews and breaktimes for workers. 

Their installation alone is sometimes what unites people. The bell at St. Peter’s Anglican Church in Twillingate, N.L., for example, was a collective gift of gratitude. In 1862, to offer praise and thanks for an exceptionally successful seal harvest that spring (sealing for meat, fur and oil was key to rural survival in those days), local residents raised the funds to purchase a bell for the tower. It first rang out on Christmas Day, 1863.

Church bells are such an integral part of community life that if they stopped ringing, the silence would be largely felt. Indeed, when I asked readers in a recent newsletter what you would miss if your local church closed, a number of you said the ringing of the bells.

Since 1922, John Scott’s family has been ensuring that church bells keep ringing. Recently he spoke with journalist Ghazal Azizi about his life’s work and the search for his successor in this Broadview story.

Let Me Know: Does your church bell have a special story? Share it with me so that I can share it with others in the next newsletter. Email: j.young@broadview.org.
 
LETTERS:
In the last newsletter, I asked what things you dreamed about while sitting in church as a child. These two responses, in particular, express the unique perspectives of children. These letters have been edited for length and clarity.

Since I was very young, I wanted to be a pastor or missionary, so I would spend time thinking about what I would be like up there or in the field. I grew up in a church that didn’t ordain women, so this was a bit cutting edge. I read an article in seminary about a young Deaf man who grew up thinking the offering was meant to pay the pastor because he always received it after the sermon and had a huge grin on his face.
—Debz Ferber, Saskatoon
 
A key childhood memory of church services for me was a fascination with the size, power and range of the organ at Central United in Calgary. When we would attend church there with my grandparents and my parents, my brother and I would sit in a small pew right beneath where the organist sat, and I would marvel at the sounds emanating from it. 
—Mark Nicoll, Victoria, B.C.

Rev. Carolin MacMillan of Appleby United Church in Burlington, Ont., is one of five faith leaders who shared their personal passions with readers in the July/August issue of Broadview. From her embroidery to others’ paintings, cycling, powerlifting and trail building, they each have found their own rewards in doing something for themselves to recharge between helping others.

Read all their stories here.