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Rebuilt church celebrates return of 122-year-old bell

HALLAM, Neb. (AP) — A village in southeast Nebraska is celebrating the return of a 122-year-old church bell after a destructive tornado hit the area in 2004.

The Congregational United Church of Christ in Hallam will hold a dedication ceremony on Sunday. Pastor Peggy McClain says the church will celebrate the bell and the hope it conveys to the 100-member congregation during the event.

An EF4 twister left a 52-mile trail of destruction on May 22, 2004. The church, which was founded in 18933, was destroyed and had to be rebuilt, but the original bell was intact.

The Lincoln Journal Star reports that the church's bell tower was reconstructed and the bell was hung last spring.

McClain says the dedication of the bell signals a new beginning for the church after reconstruction.

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