The Story of the Church Bell (A Story for Kids and Their Families)

Birds singing in the trees. Children laughing with friends. Cars honking their horns. Music playing in stores. Sirens blaring on an ambulance. We hear many different sounds during the day. Every sound gives us clues as to what is going on around us.

Some sounds call us to action like an alarm clock in the morning. Some sounds give us a warning like a fire truck telling us to get out of the way. Some sounds like a bell at school remind us that it’s time to go home from school.

In 1915, a new sound was introduced at Rocky Creek Church. It was the sound of a church bell that was placed in the steeple.

The steeple stood tall on top of the building where the people gathered for church. It was built to be seen from far away. The steeple was a welcome invitation to remind people to come to church to worship God, to hear stories about Jesus, and to be with friends. The steeple was a great idea, but could there be another signal the church could use to remind people it was time for church?

Someone had a great idea, “What about a bell that could be placed in the steeple?” The bell would be a reminder to get out of bed and to go to church. People in the community who were not going to church would be reminded each week that a church awaited them right around the corner. Everyone agreed that a bell was a great idea.

The next question was, “How can we pay for a cast iron bell to be placed in the steeple?”

As the people considered how to pay for the bell, an unlikely group emerged as the ones who would provide the money for the bell. Who was the unlikely group? The unlikely group was a bunch of boys in the church who were in the same Sunday School class.

Church members wondered, “How will this unlikely group of boys be able to pay for a bell to go in the steeple?” The boys were about to surprise the church by showing them how children can be part of the church’s mission.

The boys decided they would make sacrifices. The boys were hard workers and loved doing chores. They knew they could offer to do extra jobs for their families and for people in the neighborhood to make extra money.

The boys also knew that they were spending their money on things they really didn’t need. What if they gave up their snack and candy money? What if they gave up extra toys they did not need? Their plan would work. Together, they could accomplish more and could meet a need at Rocky Creek, so they started working toward their goal.

The church was surprised when the boys presented an offering of just enough money for the church to buy the beautiful cast iron bell to be placed in the steeple. Everyone looked forward to the day when the bell would be placed in the steeple to signal to the community that it was time for church.

Imagine the boys’ excitement the first Sunday the rope was pulled and the bells rang out with an invitation for those in the community to come to church.

The church members learned a great lesson that day. Everyone, regardless of their age, has a part to play in the church. From the youngest to the oldest, everyone can find ways to give. Everyone can be part of the mission of the church.

Talk with your parents:

• What did you like about the story?
• Can you think of ways you and other children can serve at your church and be part of your church’s mission to provide invitations for people to come to your church to worship God, to hear about Jesus, and to be with friends?
• Has your family talked about ways to give offerings to the church? God expects each person to give a tithe to support the work of the church. Some families begin with a 10% tithe. Where will your family start?
• Talk with your parents about what should happen if you make a dollar doing a chore.
  
  • First, thank God that He has provided a way for you to make money.
  • Give a dime of your dollar to your church so that together with other church members you can tell others about Jesus.
  • Save fifty cents of each dollar you earn for things you might need in the future.
  • Use forty cents of every dollar you earn for things you need to buy, or if you don’t need to buy anything, move that money to your savings for later.