HODGDON, Maine — Before their Christmas Eve prayer service, members of the Hodgdon United Methodist Church gathered in a vigil near the vacant place where a beloved historic bell once rested, choosing to forgive its alleged thief.
“A few days later, we received a phone call that the person of interest intended to return the bell,” Pastor Victor Han said.
Han did not identify the person who took the bell.
On Dec. 11, church member Anthony Benn discovered that the bell was missing and the alleged theft was reported to Maine State Police. Church members and friends quickly shared the news on social media to help with the search, Han said.
“When the bell was taken, it felt as though a part of us was taken as well. There was real grief and loss,” he said. “Still, as a church, we chose not to remain in the past.”
The 1870 bell was removed from the historic church steeple last year due to ongoing leaks. But because the bell is deeply rooted in the church’s history, they placed it, bolted to a large concrete slab, on church grounds as a visible symbol of their history, resilience and pride, Han said.
The bell, which had been dragged away still on its concrete slab, is a tangible link between the past and the present, the pastor said, adding that the church was the first Methodist church in Aroostook County.
The Hodgdon Methodist Church was born in 1839 with four people and grew to 40 within a year, according to church historian Nola Bates. For many years, they gathered in homes. The present church building at 244 Hodgdon Mill Road was constructed in 1870 and the bell first rang that year on Nov. 23.
In 1935, when the Hodgdon school burned down, the Methodist church served as the school for more than three years.
Again, in 1987, during school renovations, kindergarten classes were held in the fellowship hall, according to Han.
“The church and the bell have long been woven into the identity of the Hodgdon community,” Han said. “The bell rang not only for Sunday worship, but also for school and community events. The bell was the church, and the church was the community.”
At some point on Dec. 27, the bell was dropped off at the home of church members Perry and Paula Lilley.
For now, it is safely stored until the church determines next steps.
Though what happened was wrong and deeply unfortunate, the congregation chose not to pursue further investigation, Han said.
“Yet we are grateful that the person involved had a change of heart and returned the bell,” he said. “If the bell is displayed again, it will stand not only as a symbol of resilience, but also of forgiveness — an even deeper and richer witness to who we are as a community.”