First Baptist Church Celebrates 151 Years of Historic Bell

First Baptist Church of Front Royal celebrated a special piece of its history Sunday, marking the 151st anniversary of the bell that has called generations of worshipers to gather.

During the morning service, Pastor Michael Williams told the congregation that the day was set aside to recognize the historic bell, dated 1875, and the role it has played in the life of the church. As worshipers entered the sanctuary, each person received a small bell. At several points during the service, the congregation rang those bells together in unison.

Because the historic bell is difficult to hear from inside the sanctuary when the doors are closed, the doors were opened before it was rung so the sound could carry into the worship space. Carter rang the bell near the beginning of the service with help from Deacon Dub, prompting Williams to pause and reflect on the moment.

“What a beautiful piece of history,” Williams said after the bell rang.

Later in the service, Margia Kitts shared a brief history of the bell. She explained that it was originally placed in the belfry of the First Baptist Missionary Church on Crescent Street. That building no longer stands, but research with help from the Warren Heritage Society helped identify its former location near the area behind the current Front Royal Town Hall.

On July 4, 1914, the bell was moved to the belfry of the new church. Kitts also pointed to a framed letter in the church’s historical room from a member who helped move the bell to its current location. According to that letter, the bell weighed 450 pounds and was remembered for its “sweetness of tone.”

Kitts said the bell has long been more than an object in the belfry. For church members, it has served as a call to worship, a sound of welcome, and a symbol of faith shared with the surrounding community.

During the 1970s and 1980s, Kitts recalled hearing the bell ring before worship services. She said the tradition of involving young people in ringing the bell was encouraged during Pastor Mark Jordan’s time and later renewed by Christy McMillan-Goodman and John Hensley. Hensley helped restore the tradition by replacing the broken belt used to ring the bell.

The church hopes to continue inviting children to help ring the bell, keeping the tradition alive for future generations.

After worship, First Baptist Church continued its bell anniversary celebration with coffee, fellowship, and a cake shaped like a standing bell, honoring the historic 1875 bell that has called generations to worship.

After worship, the celebration continued with coffee, fellowship, and a cake shaped like a standing bell. The ringing of the small bells throughout the service added a joyful sound to the anniversary observance, echoing the larger bell being honored that morning.

That musical theme may soon continue in another way. Bob Wilson, First Baptist’s director of music ministries, announced an informal meeting for singers and musicians interested in helping bring back the handbell choir and form a praise ensemble. The meeting is scheduled for Sunday, June 14, at 10:30 a.m. in the choir room.

Wilson invited anyone whose gift is singing or playing an instrument to attend, share ideas, and help shape the church’s next chapter of music ministry.

As First Baptist Church looks ahead, the sound of its historic bell remains a reminder of the people who built, moved, preserved, and continue to cherish it. After more than a century and a half, the bell remains a familiar voice in Front Royal, still calling people together.

Thanks to Lewis Moten III, who contributed to this story.