The Bartlett Rotary Special Projects Committee donated $5000.000 to Bartlett’s Immanuel United Church of Christ Bell Fund. Bartlett Rotarians Dr. Kristina Gabrenya and Mr. Ray Deyne presented the $5000.00 donation to the church on Sunday, March 10, 2019 to repair the church bell. Jackie Ellsworth, Bell Fund Chairperson, and Lynn Filippelli, Church Council President, received the check for the Please Help Us Make the Church Bell Ring Again Campaign. Other Bartlett Rotary officers and members, Village Administrator Paula Schumacher, Fire Chief Mike Falese, Michael Musson, and Michelle Sarwars, attended the presentation and cake reception, along with members and friends of the church.

Immanuel United Church of Christ was built in 1891. In 1893 the Ladies Aid raised funds to buy and install the 609 lb. bell that called its congregants to worship, rang out the hours for the townspeople and surrounding farmers, and alerted the town of events and emergencies.

For generations the bell rang to mark both joyful and sad occasions.  Weddings, church services, christenings and funerals were all noted by the ringing of the bell.  It also sounded for major community and world events.  It sounded 100 years ago on 11/11/1819 to commemorate the end of WWI.  This year to remember the 100^th anniversary of that day, members had to “BYOB” –bring your own bell – to the services to ring because the church’s bell has been broken. Recently, the bell had fallen silent due to stabilization issues and a broken mechanization.

This story caught the eye of local Rotarians and the repair project was suggested to members as a candidate for this year’s charitable donation.  Previous donations have been given by the club to Bartlett High School for the scoreboard at the new stadium, to the Bartlett Parks Foundation for the Free to be Me sensory playground. 

“We wanted to bring back the ring” said Rotary Club President Paula Schumacher.  “Immanuel United Church has a unique position in our community, having been established the same year as Bartlett’s incorporation.  As one of our member’s said, the bell’s ring is part of the soundtrack of our community.  We are delighted that our donation can go to the repair and restoration of the bell”

The Bartlett Rotary donation added to the already collected funds will not only ensure the complete restoration of the Bell’s mechanisms but also allow the church to have funds for maintenance for the bell and its structures for years to come.  The Verdin Company, Ohio, has been contracted to install bearings, clapper spring assembly, and swinging bell ringer to make the church bell ring again.

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If you have any ideas for the April 18, 2019 Random Rotary please let Ray know.  

 

A check in the amount of $1300 was presented to the Club from JC Restoration for their participation in Hustle Up the Hancock!!  The donation is very much appreciated by our members!!!