Hand bells ring for Habitat for Humanity
Leslie Dawson directs the hand bell choir from Grace UMC at the Ring the Bells for Habitat Concert Sunday, April 9 at the Presbyterian Church. Jen Jones | Beacon
COSHOCTON – The sweet sounds of bells filled the fellowship hall of the Presbyterian Church on Sunday, April 9 for the 17th Annual Ring the Bells for Habitat Concert. Hand bell choirs from three churches, Central Christian, Grace United Methodist and the Presbyterian Church, performed songs individually and as a large group. A fourth church, West Lafayette UMC had planned to be there, but had to cancel due to illness.
Leslie Dawson, Hand Bells Director at Grace UMC, has been playing the bells for 30 years. This year it was her turn to direct the number that all of the choirs performed together.
“When we first started, each group played two pieces,” said Dawson. “Several years ago, we decided to put everyone together for a song, too.”
Each choir practices the song at their church, but the first time they all play it together is the day of the concert. This year, the chosen song was “God so Loved the World.”
Dawson said playing the hand bells is different than most instruments in that the people are the instruments, not really the bells. Each bell is a different note and without enough people, the bells cannot be played.
“These are dedicated groups of musicians,” she said. “They love the music and come back year after year to play.”
In the last 16 years, the Ring the Bells Concert has raised about $12,000 for Habitat for Humanity. John Addy, President of the Habitat Board, said the money that is donated is used to buy materials for the houses they build. Habitat has built 16 houses in Coshocton and in the last few years, has built two houses a year. Habitat holds several fundraisers a year, including a golf scramble in September and a “Haunted” 5/10K in October.
Habitat for Humanity also operates The ReStore. Household items and building materials can be donated to the store and anyone is invited to stop by to shop. All profits from the store are used by Habitat for Humanity. For more information, call the store at 740-622-7787.
Category: Faith
