Drew Church steeple and carillon dedicated

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Rev. Vink: “a symbol
of commitment”

CARMEL – Add the date of September 15, 2018 to the annals of Putnam
County history.

Saturday joined May 30 of this year as days to remember for parishioners
of the Drew United Methodist Church.

On that memorable morning last May as traffic passed along the Gleneida
lakeshore in downtown Carmel, a small group of congregants of the church
thanked God that the day had arrived when a new 41-foot tall steeple was
gingerly placed atop the church by a large crane and on Saturday that
steeple and a new carillon or set of bells in the tower played by using
a keyboard or by an automatic mechanism sounded for the first time following
an hour-long dedication ceremony.

The steeple project had been in the planning stages for years. In 1865
when the church was constructed by businessman, steamship and railroad
developer and financier Daniel Drew, a steeple was included in the project.

In the 1940’s due to deterioration, the steeple came down and was
replaced by a smaller cupola. More than 70 years later, the new steeple
now sits atop the historic church.

Church pastor the Rev. Martha Vink described the steeple as a “symbol
of the commitment of our congregation to glorify God and celebrate church
history. Each time we peer towards the steeple, we will be looking to
the heavens and thanking God for his wonders.”

Pastor Vink described the steeple as a “rebirth for our congregation
and a beacon of accomplishment. The steeple also gives us a heavenly break
by lifting our eyes to the heavens.”

Church trustee Ed Lundberg who chaired the steeple project told the congregants
that money “rested in the church steeple fund untouched for years.
After four years of planning, fund raising and countless meetings the
day finally arrived when the steeple was placed on its pedestal.”

Lundberg praised parishioner Peter Gebhardt for his tireless dedication
that allowed the project to proceed. As a way of saying thanks, congregants
decided to add Gebhardt to the Drew Church Tree of Life for “giving
life to the 2018 restoration.”

The carillon was dedicated to the memory of 12-year-old Sean Callahan
who recently lost his valiant battle against cancer.

Tracey Walsh of the American Cancer Society remembered Sean as a “special
child who was wise, funny, determined, ‘girl crazy’ and a
leader.

Sean was a son, grandson and big brother whose mission in life was to
help others. He never gave up and his motto in life was ‘if you
can walk then you must run.’”
Pastor Vink agreed that Sean was a “special young man whose life
ended much too quickly.” She thanked the Lord for the “gift
of music that fills our hearts and refreshes our spirits. As we hear the
sounds sing across our area, may we find our hearts soaring and our praises
rising.”

As the service ended and parishioners milled about outside the church,
a beautiful musical interlude was played on the carillon for the first
time.




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