Blessed Redeemer to celebrate new carillon tower

There’s another church bell to now be heard in Brandon, and this one has many “bells” but no “whistles”.

After nearly a dozen years of fundraising, Blessed Redeemer Lutheran added a carillon tower to the church. The carillon was installed on July 25.

This Sunday, Aug. 9, the congregation will be dedicating the carillon during a 9 a.m. Church in the Yard service, and the community is invited to attend. A free continental breakfast will be provided following worship.

Blessed Redeemer’s Carillon Bell Fund started around 2014 after a promotion flyer and follow-up discussion between a member of the congregation and carillon company representatives who were attending the South Dakota LCMS District conference. 

While the congregation favored the carillon, they would need to establish a fund specifically for the carillon. 

A carillon is a pitched percussion instrument that is played with a keyboard and consists of at least 23 bells, according to Wikipedia. The bells are cast in bronze, hung in fixed suspension, and tuned in chromatic order so that they can be sounded harmoniously together. They are struck with clappers connected to a keyboard of wooden batons played with the hands and pedals played with the feet. Often housed in bell towers, carillons are typically owned by churches, universities or municipalities. They can include an automatic system through which the time is announced and simple tunes are played throughout the day.

The congregation is also looking to update the exterior signage. Fundraising is currently underway to fund a new digital sign, and Church Elder Kevin K. Callies reports they have about $6,000 yet to raise.