Music Made in Heaven – Spring 2025 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 2025 News

Highlights of Our Fall and Winter

We had the opportunity to share our music and message in several performances this fall and winter:

On November 21, we played during the Holiday Service of Hope and Remembrance at First Baptist Church in Raleigh. This service provided space for those who have known loss to acknowledge their grief openly, to experience the encouragement of fellow believers, and to find comfort in the assurances of faith. Loved ones lost were remembered by speaking names and lighting candles. We also helped to create a warm and festive atmosphere by ringing for guest families during First Baptist's Toy Joy, an annual event that provides Christmas gifts for local families with financial need, on November 16.

In December, we braved the 30-degree temperatures and machine-generated snow to perform at the Cary Christmas Tree Lighting Celebration on the Downtown Cary Park Grand Lawn Pavilion Stage (see accompanying video). We also presented our "Holiday Handbells" concert at the Brier Pointe Retirement Community in Morrisville and in the halls of Duke Hospital in Durham.

In February, three of our members – (from left) Ruth Stevens, Sterling Smith and Patricia Smith – participated in Distinctly Bronze East, a Handbell Musicians of America event for auditioned ringers to play advanced music in New Bern, NC. The group of 150 ringers presented a concert that is available for a limited time online.

In March, we provided music for the annual Remembrance Service at Glenaire Retirement Community in Cary.

On April 6, Music Made in Heaven will perform during the 11:00 a.m. service at First Baptist Church, in appreciation for the church providing space for our weekly rehearsals and storing our equipment.

Building Our Skills

Each spring, we traditionally attend a handbell festival within a four-hour drive of Raleigh to work with a nationally recognized handbell clinician, improve our technical skills, and enjoy fellowship with ringers from other churches and organizations.

This year, we decided to stay home and invite a guest conductor to join us in Raleigh for a full-day retreat on Saturday, March 15. We didn't have to look far because Raleigh is the home of Michael Glasgow – a highly regarded and internationally known handbell clinician, director and composer.

Michael is full of energy, exuberance and humor. So, as intensely as we focused working on several different handbell techniques and four pieces of music, the day flew by. It was a very fun and meaningful learning experience for us (and we all slept extra soundly that night).

We sincerely thank Michael for helping us improve our technique and our seasonal repertoire with his wonderful leadership and instruction! We also thank the MMIH board for supplying our lunch and First Baptist Church for providing the space!

Music Made in Heaven

cordially invites you to attend

“The Gathering"

Sunday, May 18, 2025

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: Elise Pangborn

Bell Experience: Elise was introduced to handbells in 2003 when she responded to an invitation in her church bulletin to join the handbell choir. She has been ringing ever since. She joined MMIH in 2013 as a sub, and became a full-time member in 2014.

What You Might Not Know About Elise: One of Elise's hobbies is sewing – her 2025 project is to learn how to smock. She's working on a Christmas ornament, and also hopes to use this embroidery technique on children's clothing.

Quote: “Being part of Music Made in Heaven has not only made me a better ringer, but this unique group has shown me how to cope with loss by celebrating and remembering our loved ones through music.”

MMIH Board Welcomes New Members

Two new members have joined our Board of Directors as of January: Ruth Stevens and Steve Brown. In addition, Robin Marley has completed his three-year term on the board. We thank all three for their service to MMIH!

Both new board members are familiar to the group, as Ruth is a current ringer and Steve is a former ringer. Each has also donated a bell in memory of a family member.

Ruth worked for more than 35 years in higher education communications and fundraising, most recently at Princeton University. She moved to North Carolina in 2018 to become the business manager for The Raleigh Ringers. She also joined MMIH as an experienced ringer that fall. In addition to ringing, Ruth produces our e-newsletter, oversees our Facebook page and maintains our revamped website. Her husband, Steve Latus, has also made significant contributions by serving as our photographer and videographer for special events.

Steve Brown is currently vice president – communications and market development/title attorney with Investors Title Insurance Company. He is a graduate of Wake Forest University and the University of North Carolina School of Law and has resided in Raleigh since 1984. He is married to Regina and is the father of two sons (Blayne, for whom a bell has been donated, and Philip), and the grandfather of two. In addition to being a former ringer, he is also a former singer with the Raleigh Oratorio Society.

Thanks, Bob!

A big thank you from MMIH to Bob Sleight of Apex for occasionally loaning us his cargo van for transporting all of our equipment – bells, tables, foam and more – to performances. We appreciate being able to load everything into one vehicle (shown here at Duke Hospital in with Sterling Smith and Sabrina Tyndall)!

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. We are now accepted gifts to inscribe our choir chimes.

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 suggested 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 | musicmadeinheaven@gmail.com