For the first time in several months, the bell rang at the Episcopal church on Sunday morning.

After the service, parishioners and guests gathered beneath the bell to rededicate it after several weeks of construction, when workers rebuilt the tower and refurbished the bell.

The bell was donated to the church 50 years ago by the family of Frank “Chip” Ernst, an island boy who died in 1960 just short of his second birthday.

At the ceremony, Chip’s brother Bob spoke, saying that his parents, Jean and Frank Ernst, had given the bell in memory of the little boy, but now the family views the bell differently.

“We have come to see it more broadly, as a memorial to the young people who have died too soon and all those who have struggled with their loss,” he said.

Bob noted that it was an emotional day for the family, with many members attending, including his mother, who is 95.

Dave Swain, who grew up with the Ernst family and is a longtime member of the church, spearheaded the $30,000 fundraising effort and oversaw the construction process after learning that some of the wood in the tower was rotting.

The bell, called “The Big Chipper,” is more than 100 years old and weighs 2,200 pounds. The new tower, built more sturdily than the last, should last 60 to 70 years or longer, Swain noted.

Rev. Carla Pryne, the rector of the church, said that the bell has a lot of meaning to church members.

“The bell is a reminder that we are not alone, that there is a larger, deeper reality that holds us,” she said. “It is the sound of consolation and hope, of celebration and festivity.”

During his talk on Sunday, Bob Ernst ended with his family’s blessing.

“May the ringing of the Big Chipper cause us to think about the young ones in our lives and all the joy they bring us.”

Then, at the end of the service, Ernst family members gathered at the base of the tower and rang the bell.