Plainfield United Methodist Church

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James Beggs and John Shreffler each donated $2,000 to buy a 10-bell Meneely (Watervliet) chime that was celebrated with a three-day celebration from June 15-17, 1907.

Herald News, June 13, 1907, Page 8.

The 1907 chime was quite decrepit by the early 2000s and it was refurbished by Chime Master and expanded with eight Eijsbouts bells were added that matched the tone of the original Meneely bells. It was rededicated on December 9, 2007.

A desire to add five bells to turn the chime into a carillon was aided by a a generous contribution from the Dorothy C. and Richard A. Parks Foundation., along with other donations the church raised $65,000 for the purchase and installation of the final five bells. The new carillon was first played on Palm Sunday, April 13, 2014. Tim Sleep, city carillonneur for Naperville, was a consultant on the project.

References
1907 "Chimes to Ring in Plainfield," Herald News, June 9, 1907, Page 16.

1907 "Bells Arrive in Plainfield," Herald News, June 13, 1907, Page 7.

1907 "Large Crowd Hears Plainfield Chimes," Herald News, June 16, 1907, Page 5 | Part 2 |
The Finest Chime of Ten Bells West of New York.

2007 Bells, Bells, Bells: The “Chime of Ten Bells" Then and Now 1907 to 2007

2008 “Church Expands and Rededicates Chime," by Tim Sleep, Carillon News 79(4):13 (April 2008)

2014 "Plainfield Church Now Home to Village's Only Carillon," Patch, April 16, 2014
Until Sunday, there were just 181 carillons in the United States, according to Jeff Crook, president of Chime Master, an Ohio-based company that installs and renovates bell systems.
Over the weekend, Crook added the final five bells needed to bring the total to 23 — the minimum necessary to make the church's bell tower a true carillon.
Church member Larry Stephens said the bells rang out for Sunday's services at the church, 15114 S. Illinois St.
In 2007, church members pitched in to help bring the bells back to life. Through donations, members raised more than $130,000 to fund a renovation of the bell tower.
Crook's company was called in to build a modern playing mechanism and install eight new bells. The new mechanism, which was formatted to accommodate a carillon, was installed in the original console from 1907.
Since 2007, church-goers have enjoyed the sounds of the 18-bell instrument, but since it takes 23 to officially be declared a carillon, members didn't stop there.
Thanks to a series of donations — including a generous contribution from primary donor the Dorothy C. and Richard A. Parks Foundation — the church raised $65,000 for the purchase and installation of the final five bells.

2014 "Bells toll a new distinction for Plainfield church," Chicago Tribune, May 20, 2014

2014 "Plainfield bell tower rings out," Chicago Tribune, May 22, 2014, Page 5.

2014 "New Carillon and International Concert Series Debuts," by Tim Sleep, Carillon News 92(11):17 (November 2004)