Old church bell restored to glory

By Andy Morgan

After 35 years of silence, the bell at St. John’s Episcopal Church is ringing again. That’s thanks to one determined parishioner, a small team of church members — and an expert in the unique business of bell repair.

“Bells have been used throughout history to call people to prayer and history. Now our bell rings a simple toll three times a day: at 9 a.m., noon and 3 p.m., to remind people to return to God in prayer,” Father David Houk, who leads the congregation, said. 

For 45 years, Dennis Stuekerjuergen was an active member of St. John’s, including serving as cook for the men’s camping group. For most of those years, the bell didn’t ring, and Dennis missed it, his wife Leah Stuekerjuergen said. 

After Dennis died in the summer of 2023, Stuekerjuergen initiated the restoration of the bell, in memory of her husband. Church members David Farrell, an architect, and Bill Knowles, a retired electrician, joined the project. They hired Jimmy Little, an electrician, and Gary Loper, of Loper Pipe Organ Service Co. Loper installed a magnetron and linear drive motor to operate the St. John’s bell. 

“I literally did all of it from the top of the ladder — inside the tower — creating the framework so that it was adjustable, movable and would hold the magnetron in the right place. It was a do-it-as-you-go type thing.” 

The project, initially scheduled to take place in a few weeks, dragged out for a few months. Parts were delivered, but damaged. There were school schedules to work around; St. John’s Episcopal School is next door. And it rained and rained. 

At the summer dedication of the bell, Father Houk said that tradition calls for bells to be named. “This is because each bell has a unique voice — and every church bell has a divine vocation of calling the people of the earth to the praise of God,” he said. St. John’s bell is now named Gabriel, after the archangel Gabriel, who often brought good news, like when he appeared to Mary and announced she would bear the divine Son of God. The very sound of the bell “tickles” me, Stuekerjuergen said. “I just love to hear the bell. It’s a blessing to me every time I hear it ring.”

All are welcome to attend services — and hear the bell at St. John’s — on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. and on Sundays at 8 a.m., 9:15 a.m. and 11 a.m. The church is located at 848 Harter Rd. in Dallas.