Music Made in Heaven – Spring 2024 Newsletter

Music Made in Heaven is a unique handbell ensemble. Each of our bells has been donated in memory of a child who passed away and is inscribed in remembrance. The music played by the bells representing our children is unlike any other – it is a beautiful contribution the children are continuing to make to the world every time we ring. The message behind the music is one of faith, hope, joy and gratitude for our children's lives.

We call it Music Made in Heaven

Spring 2024 News

Highlights of Our Fall and Winter

We’ve had a busy year so far!

On December 4, we were honored to be showcased on the fourth annual Ring-a-Thon, a national fundraising event for Handbell Musicians of America. Two recordings of our previous performances were shown, as well as live interviews with charter member Bonnie Woodruff (subbing for MMIH creator Elizabeth Barnes, who was ill), director Barbara Marley and Dianne and David Whiteman, parents of Amy Kirsten Whiteman, for whom one of our bells was donated. You can view the program on HMA’s YouTube channel (we are in the third chapter from the end at 5:11:45).

In November and December, we performed at First Baptist Church of Raleigh’s Toy Joy, at the holiday gathering of the Newman Club at the Carolina Preserve in Cary, in the halls of Duke Hospital in Durham and in concert at First United Methodist Church of Cary.

In January, we presented an hour-long program explaining the mission and ministry of MMIH for the OWLS (Older, Wiser, Learning, Sharing) Ministry at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church in Raleigh.

In February, five of our members — (from left) Cyndi Peterik, Phil Herold, Sterling Smith, Patricia Smith and Ruth Stevens — participated in Distinctly Bronze East, a Handbell Musicians of America event for auditioned ringers to play advanced music in New Bern, NC.

In April, Music Made in Heaven performed during the Sunday morning service at First Baptist Church, in appreciation for the church providing space for our weekly rehearsals and storing our equipment.
Due to scheduling conflicts, we have decided not to host a Bull Ring this year. Please watch for more information next spring on our plans for organizing a massed handbell ensemble to ring the National Anthem at the Durham Bulls baseball game.

Retreating to Advance

Each spring, we traditionally try to attend a handbell festival in the area to improve our skills and meet other ringers. This year, we decided to stay closer to home and have a retreat. We will spend the afternoon of April 28 at a venue in Cary working on our music and enjoying other teamwork activities. We hope to make great progress on our program for The Gathering!

Music Made in Heaven

cordially invites you to attend

“The Gathering"

Sunday, May 19, 2024

2:00 p.m.

First Baptist Church Fellowship Hall

99 N. Salisbury St.

Raleigh, NC 27603

Access surface parking lot from Hillsborough Street

Enter building through the double doors

This annual concert will feature several pieces performed

by our community handbell choir, along with the

traditional reading of inscriptions in our bells honoring

the children for whom they have been donated.

A reception will follow.

Free and open to all. Donation baskets available.

We hope to see you there!

Meet an MMIH Member

Name: Tammy Hammer

Bell Experience: 29 years playing bells in Hickory, Apex and Raleigh.

What You Might Not Know About Tammy: A pre-school teacher, Tammy has participated in several handbell mission trips to Brazil, performing in schools, festivals, parks and malls.

Quote: “Ringing with Music Made in Heaven has given me a chance to honor the children who have passed on. The experience of ringing with a community handbell group has been awesome – it's a great stress reliever for me!”

Donations in Memory of Our Children

Thanks to many donations, the handles of all of our handbells have been inscribed in memory of a child. The final bell donation is in memory of Tammy Briggs.

But we have a whole set of choir chimes available! We’re thrilled that our first two have been donated in memory of Carol Jean Pigott (D5) and Dana Lyn Nelson (C5)!

For each chime, an inscription of up to three lines will be added. The child’s name will be listed on our website and, when the group performs, each child's name will be acknowledged in the program. The requested donation for each chime is $300. Please contact us for more information.

Other Ways to Help

We greatly appreciate all financial contributions made to Music Made in Heaven as they help offset costs for the purchase of music and auxiliary equipment, insurance on the bells, printing and communication, and upkeep of our website.

Music Made in Heaven is a registered 501(c)(3) organization. All donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.

For more ways to donate, please visit our website and don’t forget to choose Music Made in Heaven as your donation recipient when shopping iGive.

As always, thank you for your support!

Music Made in Heaven | 919-740-5845 | musicmadeinheaven@gmail.com