Symbol of hope celebrated
By DAN MARGOLIES
The Kansas City Star
Twenty-five
years ago, Pilgrim Chapel fell silent. Burglars had stolen the bronze bell of the small stone church at 38th Street and
Gillham Road.
On Sunday afternoon, a newly cast bell pealed from the church's belfry, ringing
in a new chapter in the Gothic structure's intriguing 58‑year history.
As
onlookers watched, Della Millin and Jo Brisbane tugged on a rope attached to the
14 3/4inch, 120-pound bronze bell. The small crowd, chilled by a brisk autumn
wind, cheered as the bell clanged.
"I'm thrilled to hear this bell once more," Millin had said earlier at
an hour long dedication ceremony in the chapel. Millin and Brisbane were cochairwomen of the chapel's "Bring Back the
Bell" celebration, which culminated a two month fundraising campaign to
restore the bell to the midtown chapel.
More than 100 individuals, businesses and foundations contributed to the
campaign, which raised nearly $24,000 to purchase and install the bell and to perform repairs to the chapel and
an adjoining parsonage. The
Kansas City 150th Anniversary Legacy Fund helped jump start the campaign with a
$4,800 grant. The Muriel McBrien Kauffman Foundation contributed another
$2,500.
I went to all the companies with
"bell" in their name Southwestern Bell, Taco Bell, Blue Bell
Creameries," said the Rev. Roger Coleman, who with his wife, the Rev.
Elizabeth Coleman, spearheaded efforts three years ago to save the then
abandoned church. Blue Bell Creameries responded. The company kicked in
$1,000. Formerly
known as Pilgrim Lutheran Church for the Deaf, Pilgrim Chapel is a
nondenominational
worship center open to all faiths.
A weekly two hour meditation
service, and a monthly Jewish Sabbath service take place in the building.
The
chapel was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.
"It seemed like a major step in restoring the facility would be having the
bell back," Roger Coleman said. "It's a symbol of hope and
liveliness."
Photo by Matt Nichols/Special to The Star
A
new bronze bell, brings new inspiration to the Pilgrim Chapel at 38th Street and
Gillham Road. The original bell was stolen 25 years ago. Dominic Donnelly-Ramos,
3, helped pull the rope Sunday as the chimes rang out. Nearly $24,000 was raised
for the bell and other improvements.
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