Tag Archive for: Beacon of Hope

Church’s newly lighted bell tower ‘a beacon’

STEPHENS CITY — For the first time in its 230-year history, the Stephens City United Methodist Church building has an illuminated belfry.
The glow from the Main Street bell tower can be seen at night from Aylor Road on the east side of Interstate 81 or from the Fairfax Pike (Va. 277) exit overpass looking west. The lights automatically turn on at twilight and turn off at sunrise. Church member Mark Gunderman, who is recording the church’s history, says the bell tower, which illuminates a long stretch of Main Street, is meant to remind all who pass by “that God is alive and present in our community.”