Bell at historic Michigan church rings again for the first time in months after costly repairs
OXFORD, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - The Immanuel Congregational Church in Oxford has been a staple in the community for nearly 150 years.
"It was so welcoming," said church volunteer Connie Miller.
Miller remembers the first time she saw it.
"I do get emotional. It's been 32 years," she said as she held back tears.
Miller fell in love with the building, but it was the sound of the church's bell that still moves her to this day.
"I've missed it so much," she said.
For Miller and many others, Sundays, or any day for that matter, don't feel the same. The bell hasn't been heard since April after it was taken down for repairs.
For many, it's a sound that tells you when it's noon or when service is ready to begin. For this Oxford community, it's a sound that can bring people together during difficult times.
"The shooting that we had a couple of years ago, the church was open for people to come," she said of the church after the Oxford High School shooting. "People came here, it was a safe place to come. They rang the bell. They could follow the sound of the bell. They came here to be comforted and to relax a little bit and to think about what was happening. It was a difficult time for the community."
Art Nagasak, who is the church treasurer, says the church found out last year that the bell was in need of serious repairs and was going to cost thousands to fix.
The community stepped up to make what could've been a boring Friday into one of the best days that Liz Wilson, who is the pastor of the church, has had in a long time.
"It's very, very exciting," she said,
Thanks to the help of the community, the church raised 30,000 dollars to fix the bell. And for the first time in months, Wilson and others could hear it ring once again.
Nagasaki was the first one who got to pull the rope. He says it was better than he could've ever imagined.
"It was great. The bell, it's got all new mechanical components, and it's nice and smooth, It just sounds fantastic," he said.
For Miller, the sound of the bell gave her the same feeling of comfort she had when she first heard it decades ago. She says the community support is evidence other people feel the same exact way.
"You can come here and just belong and then the bell rings, and you know it's where you belong," she said.
The church is still looking to raise money to pay for the repairs of the bell. If you would like to donate, the church asks people to do so through PayPal by visiting here.