• Play at least 5 performances a year in Church and 1 Youth Talent Show.
• Go on one trip.
• Receive a pin for each year of service to the handbell choir.  The pin will be worn on the LUMC  lanyard.
• Recruit youth of all ages to learn how to play handbells.

About Us

• The Angel Ringer Choirs learn to read music in incremental levels of difficulty, bell handling techniques, and teamwork in a setting of Christian fellowship and fun.
• We meet  Sundays in the Leesburg United Methodist Church's Sanctuary Balcony beginning at 12:30 P.M.
• Any 1st  through 12th graders can join...(We also take the young at heart.)
• We always find at least one place a year to visit whether it's to see "The Raleigh Ringer" perform or to go see how bells are made.
• We also travel and play at the local retirement home, community center, book store, etc.

Angel Tintinnabulations

By way of informing our congregation about our Angel Ringers (Cherubim  and Seraphim Handbell Choirs) we will write a columns on some aspect of what we enjoy about making bell music. We begin the first of our "Angel Tintinnabulations" with a brief background of English handbell ringing. English handbell ringing traces its origins to the ringing of steeple bells in the great cathedrals of England. These great bells were originally rung to call the faithful to worship or as an alarm in the case of invasion or other threat. While still rung to summon the faithful for worship, they have lost their other function. In its place has evolved the tradition of change ringing. Change ringing may be played on as few as two bells and involves the ringing of constantly changing patterns in the order of the bells to be rung. The patterns have developed many different names over the centuries. Each bell choir member is assigned to a different bell to ring. The person who begins, the peal may call out to the others the pattern to be rung and any mid-peal changes. He or she also calls out, "First bell away" to notify the others that the peal is beginning. While rehearsals are ordinarily conducted using the cathedral bells, some practices may be conducted with the much smaller handbells. This may have been introduced so as not to alarm villagers or unnecessarily disturb them. The Leesburg United Methodist Church Angel Ringers, elementary school, and Seraphim, middle school and high school, began performing in 1994. New members begin with one handbell and work their way up to more as they learn to read music and and how to ring the bell. Our Choirs play for church services and various organizations around Leesburg, Virginia. Our repertoire consists of classical and church music together with more modern music such as Walt Disney movie favorites.

To view our schedule click here.

For information, send e-mail to elaine.gladwin@me.com -Elaine Gladwin, Co-director of the youth handbell choirs.