For more than 60 years, the bells of All Saints Episcopal Church in Western Springs have been a regular part of life in the neighborhood around Walnut Street and Woodlawn Avenue
But in late Fall 2023, the bells fell silent, and when neighbors began calling the Church to find out what happened, Parish Administrator and Treasurer Jane Schenck found out just how much the bells meant to the community.
“It always rang at noon and 6 p.m., so kids would hear it and know it’s time to go home for lunch or it’s time to go home for dinner,” she said in a recent telephone interview. “And we’ve got lots of cards from people making that same comment basically, that those were the bells that sent their kids home.”
The problem was that the electrical mechanism of the bells, originally installed in 1962, had begun to fail.
“First one bell quit, then the second bell quit, and we decided there was something massively wrong, and we really need to stop,” Schenck said, noting the church decided not to ring them until repairs could be made.
Church leadership launched a fundraising effort early this year, successfully raising the cash to make necessary repairs. The amount raised is estimated to be somewhere in the low five figures, with some donations still coming in.
The three repaired bells — which collectively produce a B-flat minor chord — will be unveiled at the Church’s regular Sunday service on September 8. A special celebration will follow after services on the afternoon of September 15.
Schenck said that when parishioners and neighbors indicated that they were willing to contribute to the restoration of the bells, Church staff began a mail campaign to past parishioners explaining the problem.
They then mailed about 1,200 postcards to people within a five-block radius of the Church.
“We got close to 50 responses from people with donations,” Schenck said. “Some were fairly large donations. So obviously, the bells are important to people.”
Parishioner Bob Konold, who is chair of the bells fundraising committee, noted that the community’s tradition of using the bells as a call for lunch or dinner was incorporated into the fundraising effort.
“That kind of became a theme for the postcard that we sent out to the community,” he said. “Help the dinner bells of Western Springs ring again.”
Konold, whose family has lived in the village since 1988, also stressed the importance of maintaining a Western Springs tradition.
“We had some members of the committee that are long-time Western Springs (parish) members,” he said. “The community has really gotten used to and embraced the bells.”
Schenck echoed Konold’s comments about the importance of tradition, saying “It’s just been part of the environment for about three-quarters of a mile around All Saints for the last 60 years, and that’s why that first woman called us. She asked ‘What’s going on with the bells?’. It’s part of the area’s traditional ambiance.”
All Saints Pastor L.D. Wood-Hull spoke of the generosity of the community.
“I am delighted by the outpouring of support for this campaign, both from parishioners and neighbors,” he said. “It really underlines for me how connected All Saints is to our community, even beyond our membership and those who are directly involved in our ministries, but with our neighbors.”
Further information about the refurbishing of the bells of All Saints Episcopal Church can be found at its website allsaintsws.org.
Hank Beckman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
