Mimi Shewey knew nothing about hand bells when she came up with the idea to start a hand bell choir in her church, First Presbyterian Church in Sturgis.

"I'd neither heard nor seen a bell choir," she said. "But I thought, wouldn't it be nice if our church had one."

When a Sturgis family agreed to provide memorial money to purchase bells in 1975, Shewey suddenly had her wish.

To learn how to ring bells, Shewey visited the bell choir at First Presbyterian Church in Rapid City. By the end of her first practice, she was ready to jump in feet first. "I was really gung ho then."

Shewey rounded up five potential ringers from her church and began practicing. Sometimes they had to start songs over during church services as they learned the ropes. But slowly and surely, they improved. Throughout it all, their church supported the effort, Shewey said. "The congregation was very forgiving," she said.

Today, the First Presbyterian Church in Sturgis has 13 regular ringers and four dedicated substitutes. They practice once a week and play during services once a month.

Each Christmas, the bell choir kicks off a community Christmas concert, as well.

Shewey said hand bell techniques and music are constantly evolving and changing, making it interesting for both the performers and the congregation. This year, the choir's music incorporates a Tibetan singing bowl into one of its songs.

"It's just outstanding. The music, the new music, is so varied. It's not just standing there ding-donging," she said.

Contact Lynn Taylor Rick at 394-8414 or lynn.taylorrick@rapidcityjournal.com.