Last Sunday, November 11, was the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day - a day marking the end of fighting in WWI. At 11 AM, when the fighting stopped, church bells rang all over the world in celebration and hope for an end to all wars. In commemoration of this special anniversary, the Smedley D. Butler Brigade Chapter (Boston) of the national Veterans for Peace encouraged faith communities to toll their bells at the 11th hour on 11/11 in hope for world peace.
Nearly 100 churches in Massachusetts signed up to do just that (see a partial list below).
At First Congregational Church of Rockland, the theme of Sunday’s service was ‘Let it Begin With Me’. After joining in a Litany for Veterans, the congregation joined voices for the beautiful, “Let There be Peace on Earth” as their historic century-old church bell tolled 21 times in honor of all veterans.
“Many said the tolling bell was a moving experience,” said church Rev. Alan C. Copithorne. “We’re glad to have been part of such a historic day, with a message so much needed now as it was 100 years ago.”
Watch a Facebook Live video of the bell ringing at Franklin Federated Church
At the First Congregational Church in Brimfield, congregants were surrounded by sound at 11:00 as a group of children rang the church bell 11 times, while in the sanctuary, three members of the Brimfield Bells used hand bells to ring.
At Hadwen Park Congregational Church in Worcester, the service was halted at the strike of 11:00 and veterans invited to stand as church elder and veteran Charlie MacMillan tolled the bell 11 times. As the last ring faded, the congregation sang “God Bless America.”
Doug Stuart, member of the Smedley D. Butler Brigade of the Veterans for Peace and organizer of this event in Massachusetts, has this message for all who participated:
"Thanks very much to all of the churches in the MACUCC who rang their bell this year on Armistice Day, the day designated by the U.S. Congress for churches to ring their bells as a call to our nation, to 'rededicate our country to the cause of world peace.' We had close to 100 churches in our Commonwealth participate! It was a surprisingly heartwarming response to our call, and for many of our membership, veterans of war who now advocate for peace, an unexpected renewal of our relationship with our church, and our nation...an unexpected, "WELCOME HOME"! ~ Doug Stuart
A partial list of participating churches follows. If your church participated and is not on this list, email Karen Methot at methotk@macucc.org and you will be added.
| Partial List of Bell-Ringing Churches | November 11, 2018 |
| United Church of Christ in Abington | Abington |
| Main Street Congregtaional UCC Amesbury | Amesbury |
| West Parish Church, Andover | Andover |
| First Parish, UU | Andover |
| Memorial Congrgational Church, Baldwinville | Baldwinville |
| First Parish, UU | Bedford |
| First Parish, UU | Belmont |
| Second Congregational Church, Beverly | Beverly |
| Arlington Street UU | Boston |
| Community Church of Boston | Boston |
| Old South, UCC | Boston |
| First Congregational Church of Brimfield, UCC | Brimfield |
| United Church of Christ, Congregational | Burlington |
| United Church of Christ | Burlington |
| The Memorial Church, Harvard University | Cambridge |
| University Lutheran, at Harvard | Cambridge |
| Harvard-Epworth UMC | Cambridge |
| First Church, UCC | Cambridge |
| Friends Meeting | Cambridge |
| West Concord Union Church, Concord | Concord |
| Plymouth Church, UCC | Framingham |
| Franklin Federated Church | Franklin |
| Church of Christ Congregational, Granby | Granby |
| Groveland Congregational Church, Groveland | Groveland |
| Memorial Church | Harvard |
| Linden Ponds Community Church Hingham | Hingham |
| Hopedale Unitarian Church | Hopedale |
| First Congregational Church of Huntington, UCC | Huntington |
| First Parish, UU | Lexington |
| Town of Lexington (all churches) | Lexington |
| First Church Unitarian Unitarian | Littleton |
| Christ Church United, Lowell | Lowell |
| The First Church in Ludlow | Ludlow |
| First Congregational Church, UCC, Melrose | Melrose |
| Trinity Episcopal Church | Milford |
| First Parish, UU | Needham |
| First Unitarian Society | Newton |
| United Parish of Auburndale, UMC & UCC | Newton |
| Newton Highlands Cong’l Church, UCC | Newton |
| St. Paul’s Episcopal Church | Newton Highlands |
| Eliot Church, UCC | Newton Highlands |
| Trinitarian Congregational, UCC in North Andover | North Andover |
| North Parish, UU | North Andover |
| The Federated Church of Orleans | Orleans |
| Second Church of Plymouth | Plymouth |
| Quincy Point Congregational Church, Quincy | Quincy |
| First Congregational Church UCC Randolph | Randolph |
| First Congregational Church of Reading UCC | Reading |
| First Congregational Church (UCC) in Rockland | Rockland |
| Tabernacle Congregational Church, Salem | Salem |
| Tabernacle Cong’l Church | Salem |
| First Cong’l Church, UCC | South Hampton |
| First Presbyterian Church | South Lyon |
| First Congregational Church of Southampton, UCC | Southampton |
| Memorial Congregational Church, Sudbury | Sudbury |
| The Congregational Church of Topsfield | Topsfield |
| United Parish of Upton, Upton MA | Upton |
| Trinitarian Congregational Church of Warwick | Warwick |
| Wellesley Hills Congregational Church | Wellesley Hills |
| First Unitarian Universalist Society in Newton | West Newton |
| Hadwen Park Congregational Church, Worcester | Worcester |
| First Parish of Westwood | Westwood |
| The United Church of Jaffrey in Jaffrey NH | Jafffey NH |
| Trinitarian Church, UCC | Jaffrey, NH |
| First Presbyterian Church of South Lyon | Lyon, Michigan |
| St. John's Episcopal Church, Warsaw, Virginia | Warsaw, VA |