KEY POINTS:
For centuries , bells have called Christians to prayer. Also used as warning devices and timekeepers before the advent of clocks, bells and churches go together like bricks and mortar.
But nothing, it appears, is sacred. We've talked before about people who move into an area and then want to change it, and this is the latest salvo in the war of self-interest.
For 50 years, St Christopher's Church in Avonhead has rung its bell 33 times - once for each year of Jesus' life - before services on Sunday. There are three morning services - at 7.45, 9 and 10.30 - your standard Christian hours of worship. But a newbie has now moved into the neighbourhood and put a stop to the early morning bell ringing.
The unnamed individual complained to Christchurch City Council's noise control officers, who investigated the noise level and found that under the Resource Management Act the church was breaking the law. The daytime limit is 75 decibels - the church's bell came in 11 decibels over.
To be fair, the complainant was only concerned about the early morning bell, and the church is allowed to call parishioners to prayer in the usual way for its other two services but, as the Archdeacon says, sometimes the law is an ass.
When people come to live in the neighbourhood, he said, in his mild-mannered way, they need to be aware of what is around them. Amen to that, Archdeacon.
