Who We Are

Who We Are

The History of the Mission Bell in our Church Tower

As written by Marjorie Rupert (Nancy McMaster’s mother)

 to Rev. John Benbow on  October 17, 1997.

“For many years there was no bell in the church tower.  The children in my Sunday school wondered why our steeple had no bell.  So I began to search for a true El Camino Real Mission bell by contacting churches and residents near the mission in Oceanside.  I discovered the name of the family in La Canada, California, who had made the original mission bells.  Their business was over, but the descendants had ONE left in their garage.  When they asked why I wanted a bell I told them the story of the children in my Sunday school class and the interest of the church to obtain a mission bell.  My husband Jim and I borrowed a friends Jeep and drove 2 hours to La Canada to meet this family and hopefully pick up the bell.  It is a true Mission bell style cast in bronze and weighs 165 lbs.  Cost was $325.  My Sunday school class had raised some of the money needed for the purchase.  Through my research of the bell, it should be hung with a wheel, not by a rope.  I was a Trustee at this time and I could not convince the other members to hang it correctly – Sorry!!  At least we finally had our authentic bell in the tower.”

- Marjorie Rupert

The first formal ringing of the newly installed bell was at the Christmas Eve service, December 24, 1959.

A special thank you to the Historical Committee for providing this article for reprint.