Ringing the Bell

by Dan Holloway

Ringing the bell is a practice that is likely familiar to all those living with cancer. The practice is said to have originated at M. D. Anderson Hospital in Houston where a rear admiral in the U.S. Navy, Irve Le Moyne, was undergoing radiation treatment for his neck cancer. He told his doctor that he planned to follow a Navy tradition of ringing a bell to signify “when the job was done.” He brought a brass bell to his last treatment, rang it several times and left it as a donation. It was mounted on a wall plaque in the Main Building’s Radiation Treatment Center with the inscription:

Ringing Out

Ring this bell

Three times well

Its toll to clearly say,

My treatment’s done

This course is run

And I am on my way

I find myself thinking about that practice in a very personal way these days as my wife Carol is undergoing radiation treatments for cancer. I accompany her each day and sit with other caregivers who wait while their loved ones receive treatment. On several occasions I have heard the bell ring and have been a part of the spontaneous applause and cheering. We have become a community of support for one another because we understand that we are all in this together. It is in many ways a spiritual experience.

Because I am a church person, I also wonder if there is applicability for the church, at least symbolically. We need not use a physical bell but we can still find ways to cheer for those who are finding new reasons for hope. How might we “ring the bell” for one another to celebrate growth and healing in the church? How might we “ring the bell” for those moving from membership to discipleship? How could we “ring the bell” for those willing to engage in holy experiments even when there is no guarantee of success? How might we “ring the bell” for congregations willing to step out of their comfort zones to welcome seekers with little previous knowledge of the church? How could we “ring the bell” to celebrate small steps towards healing in congregations recovering from painful conflict? These efforts and a thousand more like them may well be the key to the future health of the church and deserve to be celebrated in every way possible. How about you? Will you help to ring the bell?