The beautiful sound of saving history
We first learned about a set of rare handbells acquired by Hill United Presbyterian Church in mid-September.
The handbells had laid untouched in the attic at the former Covenant United Presbyterian Church in Butler for at least 50 years when a neighboring church expressed interest in them. The handbells were all but slated for a bitter end — they were to be melted down to sell the brass.
However, the 25 rare Petit & Fritsen handbells, which were built in Holland in the 1690s and purchased by Covenant United Presbyterian Church in the 1950s, met a very different fate.
Covenant officials decided to give the bells new life by offering them, free and in their as-is condition, to Hill United Presbyterian Church. About $17,000 would go into refurbishing the bells.
“We knew what we were getting when we got them,” said Nancy Slezak, handbell choir director for four decades at Hill United Presbyterian Church. “We are not only preserving the bells, we are preserving the history of Covenant U.P. Church.”
On Sunday afternoon, the bells rung out at Hill United Presbyterian Church during a public dedication ceremony. They were played by the church’s handbell choir in what was called “An Afternoon of Peace & Harmony.”
The concert rung out beautifully. It was the sound of redemption.
— TL
