The nostalgic sound of church bells is ringing out through the streets of Pemberton. Christmas carols echo from the Pemberton Community Church every evening at 5 p.m. during the month of December, an innovative way of spreading festive cheer during the darkest time of the year.
The miniature tubular bells are activated by a keyboard inside the church, then amplified and fed to an external speaker, which gives them their natural sound. The keyboard has one broken key, but its motivated musicians have found ways around that.
The bells were originally a memorial gift to the United Church (which previously owned the building) for Una Margaret Knipe-Dobson, a missionary who died in 1976.
Kathy Leverton spoke to Pique about the new Christmas tradition as she warmed up for the 5 p.m. toll. She explained local piano students are always welcome to play their music on the small keyboard so the entire community can hear.
“Another church member started it three or four years ago,” she said. “She stepped back last year, so I took it over. Piano teachers will send an email out to the kids’ parents. Whoever wants to play can.”
Leverton explained limited repertoires shouldn’t hold volunteers back, as the audience is constantly changing.
“It’s fun when the kids play the bells, because sometimes their songs are only 30 seconds long and they have to play between five and 10 minutes,” she said. “I keep telling them that it will be all different people hearing the bells. They won’t notice that they are playing the same song over and over again!”
Leverton said lots of the volunteers had never been inside the quaint church building before.
Some of the kids are nervous,” she said. “I always make mistakes and it doesn’t matter! Some people that play the bells have never been in a church before. It’s great to show people that it’s not that scary. So many people like the sound of the bells. It’s great to add that for Christmas cheer.”
The bells were also played during the COVID-19 pandemic as neighbours clapped for emergency workers, sending morale out into the community when people needed it the most.
The jury is still out on how far the sound of the bells can travel.
“Some people down the hill say they hardly ever hear them,” said Leverton. “Others living in The Glen (neighbourhood) have heard them all the way from there! I guess it just depends on how the sound travels.”
The retired teacher was surprised by the impact the small act has had on the mountain community. A post announcing the start of the bell-ringing season gathered more than 200 likes on Facebook. Locals shared their love of the bells and the “sense of peace” they bring.
“People love the bells, which makes me happy,” said Leverton. “I love them.”
