For the first time in over 60 years, the clear ringing of a church bell was not heard in Winkler.

While renovations caused the absence of a Sunday morning bell tolling at the Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, it also provided a rare opportunity to inspect the 122 year old piece of Winkler's history.

"This is literally Valentine Winkler's bell... this is Winkler history," Pastor Alex Klages says.

Valentine Winkler, the community's namesake, originally donated the bell in 1896 to a church in Morden as there wasn't a proper bell tower in Winkler at the time.

Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Winkler would acquire the bell in 1957 from the closing United Church in Morden.

Church records indicate the Winkler congregation and leadership had been interested in buying a church bell, and were prepared to spend up to $150 at the time.

In an interesting twist, the connection between Winkler and Morden runs deeper than the church bell, Klages pastors both the Winkler church and Zion Lutheran Church in Morden.

Since its dedication on September 1, 1957, the peel of Valentine's bell has sounded every Sunday morning; half an hour before service begins, at the start of service, during the Lord's Prayer, and again at close of service. For funerals, the bell is sounded for every year of the person's life.

A manual rope system is still used, and Klages notes the ringer's strength is pushed to the limit when remembering a long life.

"It's not a trivial thing ringing that bell," he says.

The bell was moved back into place on Friday

The inscription on the bell reads simply, "Glory to God in the Highest," with marks indicating it was made by the Meneely Bell Company out of Troy NY.

Klages says the bell has become a part of the congregation's identity, "people love the sound of the bell."

While the bell tower needed to be reinforced, he notes fundraising for the approximately $15,000 repairs went quickly.

"We're not the largest church in Winkler, but when there is a need the people here are more than generous," he says.