Special to IFN

Broad Street United Methodist Church, a historic downtown Statesville congregation, is joining with other churches in ringing their bells to mark the 250th anniversary of Paul Revere’s famed ride through Middlesex County, Mass., on April 18, 1775. The ride would signal the beginning of the loudest cries for American independence from Great Britain prior to the signing of the Declaration of Independence in July of 1776.

Revere, a silversmith, rode through the night to alert minutemen of the impending British invasion on American soil. The next day shots would ring out in Lexington and Concord, Mass., that marked the start of the American Revolutionary War. Revere took his cues on the location and plans of the British troops by looking to spot lanterns held in The Old North Church in Boston’s North End.

Today, The Old North Church, The National Council of Churches, and The North Carolina Council of Churches have invited congregations across the country to toll their bells in honor of the 250th anniversary of the historical event this Friday, April 18. The Old North Church will toll its set of bells, the oldest of their kind in the country starting at 6 p.m.

Broad Street United Methodist Church will join in tolling its historic b-flat bell 13 times in honor of the original 13 colonies that sought independence from the crown. The bell will be rung by Bob Lee and his family. Bob, now 90 years old, has rung the bell at Broad Street for a generation and has also written poetry in regards to the church’s bell.

The ringing of the bell at Broad Street is open to the public. Anyone interested is asked to gather around the bell tower at Broad Street United Methodist Church ten minutes prior to 6 p.m. in order to appropriately witness the tolling of the bell.

Broad Street United Methodist Church is a historic church with a bright future. The Church’s mission statement is “To know and share the life-changing love of Jesus Christ.”