Raising Bell

The Bell Is Back

The bell at St. John’s Lutheran Church in New Minden was placed atop the church via crane on the morning of Tuesday, June 2. The bell had been thrown from the top of the church by the November 27 tornado which also destroyed the organ and heavily damaged the structure. The bell now has a new frame and cradle and has been restored by the Verdin Company of Cincinnati, who were aided in its reinstallation by general contractors Universal Restoration Services of Wheeling and Russ Erlinger Crane Service of Lebanon. There’s more work to be done on the church, with the steeple being lifted atop the building the week of June 22, and with the organ to be installed around Thanksgiving, almost exactly two years after the tornado struck.