NATIONAL BELL RINGING CEREMONY

On July 4th of this year at 2 p.m., four members of the West Parish Congregational Church (Marvin and Tineke Ouwinga, Steve and Louise Lovejoy) met at the church to ring the steeple bell thirteen times in celebration of our nation’s independence.

While the decision to do so was quite impromptu, it is actually a tradition in many communities across the country. In June of 1963, the U.S. Senate passed a "Concurrent Resolution" to establish the "Let Freedom Ring" National Bell Ringing Ceremony to remind Americans of the courage, commitment and wisdom of men and women who fought to create this nation. The intent is for as many bells as possible (not specifically church bells) to be rung thirteen times at exactly 2 p.m. on July 4th. This coincides with the ceremonial ringing of the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia.

It is the intent of the "West Parish Four" mentioned above to make this a tradition here in Bethel. Hopefully, we can expand our group next year. Wouldn’t it be great if there were more bells rung next time?

Steve Lovejoy

Bethel