By ALEXANDRA NEWMAN

Bethlehem Lutheran Church, recently re-dedicated its cherished bell, which originally rang in the steeple of its former church built in 1886 on West Lincoln Ave. in downtown Chesterton.

The 2,332 pound bell is housed in a 40-foot tower, crowned with a 10-foot cross. The dramatic steel structure is placed in front of the new Church located at 2050 W. 1100N, (next to Dogwood Park).

This is the second bell owned by Bethlehem Lutheran Church. It was cast in the 300 year old Verdin Bell Foundry, located in Aarle-Rixtell, The Netherlands. It’s 44 1/2 inches in diameter and 37 1/2 inches in height, and boasts an E-Natural pitch. The bell rang for Church services in Chesterton for the first time on Easter Sunday, April 14, 1974. When the church moved to its present location, the bell was put into storage until the new building was finished, and, was re-dedicated into service on December 30, 2007.

The bell is inscribed with “O sing all ye lands with a jubilant voice, glory be to God! O serve him with gladness; Before him now rejoice! O sing all ye lands out of Zion”.

This bell is permanently fixed to the tower. It no longer rings by swinging back and forth. Now, parishioners hear an electric carillon. (The bell’s toll was electrically controlled at the former church.)

According to Helen Sabinski, bell committee chairwoman, costs for the new tower were paid for through the generosity of Alvin and Josephine Hjelm, longtime members of the congregation, who bequeathed funds at their passing. It covered the entire cost of the structure.

Planning for the new tower took nearly a year, according Sabinske. The committee began working on the project in March of 2007, and realized the fruition of their labor on Dec. 30, 2007. Committee members included Dan Cauffman, co-chair, Jean and Ray Pass, Nancy Miller and Bob McKeough.

Posted 1/29/2008