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  1670 Route 25A, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724  ·   (516) 692-6368  ·   Give

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Music News and Notes: May 25, 2023

The Journey Begins for Handbells

This week Music News and Notes is devoted to our beloved collection of handbells. Our collection of handbells dates back to the 1950s when former choir director, E. Helen Pendleton, gifted the church two and half octaves of handbells from the English bell foundry, Whitechapel. Another octave-plus of bells from American bell maker, Malmark was added in the 1960s - taking our current bell set up to four octaves - a total of 49 bells.

The Whitechapel Bell Foundry company was formed in 1570, though roots to the Master Bell Founders date all the way back to 1420. Whitechapel cast many of iconic and recognizable bells including the Liberty Bell, Big Ben, the National Cathedral, and the bells at Westminster Abbey. The final bell was cast by the foundry in March of 2017.

In order to keep our 70-year-old set of handbells in working order, it is important to maintain them. Unfortunately there is no one local who can work on the bells, especially the Whitechapel bells - now that they have gone out of business and parts are difficult to obtain. This means we have to pack them up and ship them to Jeffers Handbell Supply, in Irmo, South Carolina (near Columbia).

This week, with the help of long-time choir member Chris Whitman, we bubble-wrapped each individual bell, boxed them all up, and prepared them to be shipped out for service. Vestry member Scott Evans volunteered his brother Russell to currier the bells to the Carolinas - and they left the church for Jeffers on Wednesday afternoon. They are scheduled to begin service the week of June 5 - and it should take about a month for them to be completed, before we figure our the best way to retrieve them later this summer from South Carolina.

A full service of the bells includes disassembling the bells, cleaning and polishing the castings, repairing any mechanical problems, adjusting the settings of the bells so they are easy to ring both softly and loudly. This also means that all springs are replaced on the clappers of the Malmark bells, and all springs and felts are replaced on the Whitechapel bells.

A very special thank you to Chris, Scott, and Russell for your help with the first leg in the journey to get in tip-top shape and ready for lots of bell music in the autumn!


Tags: Music

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Sermons

  • May 28 | The Rev. Mary Beth Mills-Curran
    The Holy Spirit Came - So Now What?
  • May 21 | The Very Rev. Gideon L. K. Pollach
    Ascension vs. Coronation
  • May 7 | Bryce Westervelt
    Mother's Day Bach Cantata Sermon
  • May 7 | The Rev. Mary Beth Mills-Curran
    Come my Way
  • Apr 30 | The Very Rev. Gideon L. K. Pollach
    Listening for the Good Shepherd

© St. John's Episcopal Church
1670 Route 25A, Post Office Box 266
Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724
(516) 692-6368

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Service Times

SUNDAY SERVICES

  • 8:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist
  • 10:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist or Morning Prayer

We are also live streaming our worship here.


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St. John's Episcopal Church
1670 Route 25A
Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724

Contact Us
(516) 692-6368

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Welcome to St. John's Episcopal Church! We invite all to join us at any of our worship services, and it is our hope that you will find a spiritual home here.

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St. John's Episcopal Church was the first religious institution to be established in Cold Spring Harbor. The first Episcopalian services were held in the little 18th century school house just above the site of the present church. The very first Vestry minutes, written in fine script on September 4, 1831, lists the founders who pledged $2,000 to build a new church.

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“If you are seeking after God, together we might find them.”

Seeking after God is one of the principle marks of Christian discipleship. Christians look for God, and find God, in all parts of life, but sometimes it helps to have company. That’s what the church is for. We are the fellowship of those who seek to find Jesus in their lives. We are companions in life and in the spiritual journey.

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