Advent II

Ring the Bell

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus,

This past week, a few members of Good Shepherd drove to Calvary Lutheran Church in Wood Dale, IL. Calvary graciously donated many of items used for worship. The church held its last service on November 17, 2024, and will hand over its building to new occupants on December 31, 2024.

During our visit to Calvary, we began preparing their church pews for transportation to Good Shepherd and also began transporting some smaller items. One of those items is a carillon system. In case you aren’t familiar with a carillon system, it plays the sounds of a bell tower for churches that may not have one.

With this carillon system now installed at Good Shepherd, members will hear the distinct and realistic sound of bells at the beginning and end of each service.

Now, why bells?

The ringing of bells has a long history in Christian churches. It would call parishioners to service, notify the community of deaths among the townspeople, and, more simply, serve as a timekeeper for the villages as the bells toll throughout the day.

Maybe some of you live near a church in Tomah that plays bells in this manner.

At the moment, we do not have an external speaker, so our bells will be reserved for indoor use. But they will serve as another helpful tool in calling and uniting us as we enter and exit the Divine Service each week.

In Christ,
Pastor Rogness