Saturday 8th February 2025

Ringing Hymns

Aloft in yonder belfry

Tune: Ellacombe (Trad)

Aloft in yonder belfry
Now hangs our hallowed bells;
Whene'er we hear their message,
O may we heed it well.
Their voice, to us appealing
In tones so rich and clear,
Shall call us all together,
God's holy Word to hear.

The joyous peal resounding
On happy festal days
Shall move the congregation
To sing a hymn of praise;
And when a faithful member
His pilgrimage must end,
Then may their knell, tho' solemn,
A wealth of comfort lend.

Thus shall our joys and sorrows
Be mingled with their sound
Till in celestial realms ascend
God's holy throne surround,
With many thousand voices
To magnify the Lord,
Whose name by men and angels
Is worshiped and adored.

***Yonder can be replaced with the name of a two syllable tower***

Bells are ringing

Tune: Angels Voices (Monk)

Bells are ringing, proudly pealing,
Calling all to prayer;
Come and worship, join together:
Changes in the air.
Joyful notes in steady rhythm, hear their calling
True and clear.

Many footsteps tread the church path,
Ringers one and all;
Hands are raising, ropes a-holding,
Waiting for the call.
Treble’s going, bells are turning, clappers sounding
True and clear.

Solemn tolling for the passing,
Lov’d ones laid to rest;
Joyful ringing for the joining
Of the couple blest:
All are joined in praise and worship, for your love so
True and clear.

Ringing forth for joyous feasts,
Days of special grace,
Clanging wild for dire forewarn,
Dreaded fate we face:
Hear the bells proclaim their message, joy or danger
True and clear.

In the tower our bells resound,
High above the earth,
Beckoning souls to hallowed ground,
Seeking sacred worth:
Enter in, find peace and welcome, feel his presence
True and clear.

Our mighty bells

Tune: Truro (Williams) (Aka Jesus shall reign)

Our mighty bells, their voices clear,
Remind us thou art always near
Each change we ring, a melody,
Resounds with ancient harmony.

By grasping ropes, a sacred bond,
In rhythmic sway, our souls respond,
With each bell’s turn, our spirits rise,
We sing across expansive skies.

With chimes our souls take wondrous flight,
A symphony of sacred might.
Through changing times, we find our place,
In ringing we do seek your grace.

O Lord our guide in every peal,
With each new row our hearts reveal,
Your presence in each well struck tone,
In times of change, we're not alone.
 
So let our bells ring true and clear,
Proclaiming hope, dispelling fear,
By changes’ dance, your glory shown,
In ringing out, your love is known.

The bells ‘cross Suffolk fields

Tune: St Anne (Croft) (Aka O God our help in ages past)

O Lord, your hand has blessed this land,
With bells that lift our song;
‘cross Suffolk fields, they chime so grand,
Proclaiming faith so strong.

Through meadows wide and valleys green,
Their music fills the air;
A timeless song, yet ever keen,
A call to faith and prayer.

Our ringers’ art, both strong and true,
With rhythm, tone, and grace,
Speaks of a craft both old and new,
That time cannot erase.

From Ipswich spires to Eye’s fine tower,
The changing bells proclaim,
A harmony that binds the hour,
And glorifies your name.

O Lord, who blessed our land with sound,
And hearts with skilful care,
May Suffolk’s bells forever bound,
In love, with you in prayer.

When time is o’er, and life is past,
So we your grace shall see,
Let Suffolk’s bells resound their last,
To call us, Lord, to Thee

O ring the bells of Suffolk

Tune: Thaxted (Holst) (Aka: I vow to thee)

O ring the bells of Suffolk, let echoes fill the skies,
Through fields of golden barley, where ancient churches rise.
Their towers tell the stories of faith through countless years,
Resounding in the stillness, through joy and sorrow's tears.
Each chime a call to worship, to gather and to pray,
A melody eternal, that guides us on our way.

O hear the peals of Suffolk, where gentle breezes blow,
From Aldeburgh to Bury, and every tower we know.
The bells in steadfast beauty unite both young and old,
They speak of hope enduring, of blessings yet untold.
In Suffolk’s fields and churches, God’s glory we behold,
Forever sung in ringing, more precious far than gold.