New Bells Toll for Those With Addiction at a Church in Bethel
After almost 50 years of silence from the bell tower, this Bethel church has installed new chimes that play a musical tribute to those stricken with addiction issues.
It took only two months for parishioners at United Methodist Church in Bethel to raise the $14,000 it needed for new chimes to sing their song from the church's bell tower.
According to the Danbury Daily Voice, the money was raised during a winter fundraiser and an aggressive social media campaign for the sole purpose of paying a musical tribute to individuals who have either lost their life or are suffering from the misery of drug addiction.
It seems that whenever you check the news, whether it be on the internet, TV, radio, or newspapers, it goes from depressing to appalling to death and destruction. Something as simple as chimes ringing from a church's bell tower can be a breath of fresh air, especially when the purpose is to honor the memory of souls who suffer or have suffered from drug addiction. Senior Pastor, John Parille, told the Daily Voice,
Some people said they lost a child or family member to addiction, and wanted to be a part of this project.
Not surprisingly, the church offers a number of different support groups for both victims and victim's family members who suffer from addiction issues. The chimes sing a Westminster ring on the hour and a hymn at 12 noon and 6 pm. Pastor Parille went on to say in the article:
We are hoping the chimes serve as a beacon of hope to lift people's spirits.