Church bells to ring again in Leechburg after successful $30,000 fundraiser

Sep. 10—A defunct church belltower in Leechburg will soon be operational again, thanks to the fundraising work of church volunteers the last five months.

"I had a Jesus moment," said the Rev. James Arter of First Evangelical Lutheran Church of the moment last Tuesday when he opened the church mailbox and realized the church reached its $30,000 goal for reviving the silent belltower, quiet since last October.

"We had two $5,000 donations," Arter said. "It's very, very generous."

The First Evangelical Lutheran Church of Leechburg Carillon Restoration Project kicked off in April.

An online component complemented in-person fundraisers that included a chicken-and-

biscuit fundraiser that Arter said 'brought the whole congregation together.' "

He said he was happily surprised at the amount of support the fundraiser garnered.

"Donations came in from all over the country. One of our largest was from a former member who now lives in Colorado," Arter said.

The carillon, originally installed in 1910, contains 10 bells manufactured by Meneely and Co. of West Troy, N.Y.

Over time, additional bells were added to make a 28-bell carillon, one of the largest in Western Pennsylvania, Arter said.

Church members are expected to vote to approve a contract with the Verdin Co. on Sept. 10.

Arter said the bells are expected to be restored and back in operation by Thanksgiving.

When repaired, the bells will be scheduled to ring daily at noon and 6 p.m.

"Somebody has referred to the bells ringing as the heartbeat of Leechburg," Arter said.

"We are just overjoyed and grateful for everyone's support. We never realized just how much people love these bells. It's brought so many people out that we didn't know, giving us money. I'll be at the supermarket, and people will hand me money and say, 'This is for the bells,' " Arter said.

After ringing more than 112 years, the church bells fell silent in 2022 because of a broken control box.

"The bells, some which were imported from Holland, are solid, but the mechanisms on the bells tend to break down and have to be replaced periodically — and can cost $3,000 to $4,000," Arter said.

Each bell bears a memorial inscription.

The existing bell dates to the 1990s and is no longer available so a new box must be created and fitted to the system.

The controller alone is priced at about $21,000.

When repaired, the carillon can be programmed to provide music for seasons throughout the year such as Christmas, Advent, Lent, Easter and national holidays.

The largest bell in the tower weighs about 3,500 pounds.

Additionally, occasions such as funerals and weddings will have access to the bells ringing.

Sue Washburn, pastor of Cross Roads Community Presbyterian Church, visited with Arter on Friday and praised the efforts of the church for bringing back the bells to Leechburg.

"Having the bells is a great opportunity for people to pause in their day and remember that they have an opportunity to connect to God," Washburn said. "They can say a prayer, or even just know what time it is. All of our days are busy and crazy, so to stop and hear the bells and remind ourselves that there's more to life than just the errands we're running — it's an important reminder to all of us."

A community concert to celebrate the bells ringing again is in the works.

Joyce Hanz is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Joyce by email at jhanz@triblive.com or via Twitter .