On October 13, 1940 the First United Methodist Church celebrated its 25th anniversary, although at the time it was known as the Community Church of Seal Beach. The official program for the anniversary celebration mentions that the church was affiliated with the Methodist religion but, oddly, it was not part of the official church name at the time.
Reverend F. Harold Essert was a progressive Methodist Pastor who had been assigned to the church in June 1938 and would serve in that capacity until 1943. The economic depression of the 1930s had been particularly hard on most churches including the Community Church of Seal Beach since tithing was generally down. Reverend Essert, noticing that the church sanctuary was beginning to look run-down, began a campaign to raise funds for much needed repairs and improvements. A series of church fundraisers were undertaken and money was raised to help improve the church. One of the improvements under consideration was the addition of a church bell that could be hung in a belfry yet to be added to the sanctuary. At this time the sanctuary consisted of a remodeled frame cottage on the corner of 10th and Central.
Just prior to the start of World War II in 1941, a decision was made that the church purchase a bell. Official records could not be located to determine how this decision came about, however the 1940’s era church did have a six person Board of Trustees, a ten person Board of Stewards, a Church Treasurer and, of course, the Pastor. In any event, the decision was made and a “standard-size” church/school cast iron bell was ordered from a casting foundry in Oklahoma and delivered to the church. A location was selected on the sanctuary roof above the front entrance doors. An attendee of the church, Francis Wilson, volunteered to construct a belfry as a place for the bell to hang. His wife, Ila Wilson, would later become the historian of First Church. After completing the work on the belfry, Mr. Wilson (and probably with some help from other volunteers) managed to hang the bell. At about the same time a local cabinet maker, James E. Butler, built and installed a cross above the bell. He also built a baptismal font and worked on other areas in the church to refurbish the building. Reverend F. Bruce Ellis replaced Reverend Essert in 1943 and a major decision was made to completely remodel and enlarge the “cottage sanctuary” by adding a towering roof and many features we see today. The belfry and bell were taken down and never returned to the roof. Reverend Ellis’s served the church until 1951. The bell was donated to a camp called the Lazy W Ranch which was owned and operated by the Methodist Church’s Southern California Conference. The camp is located in the Cleveland National Forest on the Ortega Highway between San Juan Capistrano and Elsinore and remains in business today. According to a newspaper article by Jean B. Dorr on December 25, 1975: “…the bell rang loud and clear for many years of worship at camp meetings. It was a pleasure for the children and adults who worked in the forested canyon and were called to church duties by the bell.” Apparently, the ringing of the bell on a daily basis for those many years caused it to suffer several cracks that rendered it inoperable. For this reason it was retired from service and stored in the camp pump house to fall into complete disrepair. In September 1975 Nell McCown’s parents, Ben and Lucille McCown, learned of the fate of the old bell and wrote a letter to the Methodist Church District requesting that the bell be returned to Seal Beach. Their request was granted and they traveled to the Lazy W Ranch to pick up the damaged bell. It was transported back to our church for repair since in addition to the cracks, the bell also was rusty and the clapper was missing. One of the reasons for the renewed interest in the bell was they wished to enter it in the forthcoming 60th Seal Beach Anniversary Parade as a heritage relic of the city — the church having been organized in the same year as the city. Shortly after the bell arrived back in Seal Beach, friends of the McCowns visited from Santa Monica. Don Howland was a contractor who worked for Santa Monica and, along with his wife Jane, was active in their local Methodist Church. He and another friend, Jim Michalski, assembled and welded a steel frame to hold the bell. They also made a new clapper for it. With the cooperative efforts of Robbie Watkinson, Larry White, the McCowns, and Clair Taylor of the church, the bell was entered in the 60th Anniversary Parade which was held on October 25, 1975 in Seal Beach. Robbie Watkinson was asked to drive the vehicle with the bell in the parade.
It was the only entry by First Church in the parade and the person selected to ride with the bell was Virginia Haley. A local newspaper said: “ … She was dressed with grace and made the entry a splendid success… ” In the past years the bell has resided in the garden area located on the 10th Street side of Fellowship Hall. Recently, it was professionally restored and now resides in a much grander location, hanging next to the Flame and Cross sign on the newly remodelled Fellowship Hall. The clapper, which the City of Seal Beach insisted must be removed before it could be displayed, is now stored with the church’s historic artifacts.
