By Jay Moore

Feeling stressed? Don’t know whether you’re coming or going? Maybe there’s too much on your plate or you’re up to your neck or you’ve run yourself into the ground. Well, if you happen to be free any afternoon at 3:15, consider this three-minute, soul-rejuvenating activity: drive over to Heavenly Rest at S. 6th and Meander, park by the bell tower, roll down your windows, lean your head back and close your eyes. Each day at 3:15, those big Dutch bells, perched high up in that Gothic tower, toll a heartening tune. A balm for your soul. And, it’s not the same tune each day, so you can repeat this meditative moment as often as your inner being requires a dose of inspiration.

I think you would agree, one of Abilene’s true gems is the Church of the Heavenly Rest. To refresh your memory, the Episcopalians organized themselves here in 1883 and their little rock church was located downtown on property that is now occupied by the First Baptist sanctuary. Then, in 1950, Heavenly Rest up and moved to Alta Vista Hill and began building an architectural masterpiece, also out of rock. And you don’t build something that beautiful in short order — it took six years. 

The nave was finished in 1956 but so was their bank account; completion of the bell tower would have to wait. Twenty-five years later, in August of 1981, the 98-foot tall All Saints’ Tower was finally completed. Funding the tower was one thing, raising money to cast 25 bronze bells to be installed in it was a whole other thing. The fundraising effort was organized and carried through in 1982 by longtime church member Mozelle Scarborough. It was a labor of love.

Only one person was more anxious to hear those bells than Mozelle, and that was Henry Tillett, Jr. He was a lifelong Abilenian and, in 1982, was 86 years old and had been attending Heavenly Rest for over five decades. He told Mozelle, “I’ve just got to hear those bells ring before I die.” Through her efforts, and the generosity of several Abilenians, the money was rounded up and an order was placed in the spring of 1982 with the Schulmerich-Eijsbouts Foundry in the Netherlands for the casting of 25 bronze bells. (A list of the donors is below the photos at the bottom of this email.)

Thirty parishioners then chipped in to surprise Mozelle, and her husband Davis, with a trip to Asten to witness the casting of two of the bells. Mozelle even tossed in the traditional coins as molten copper and tin mixed to form bronze and was poured into one of the molds. The bells arrived in Abilene in December of 1982 and were set on the church lawn next to the tower so they could be blessed and so everyone could get a look. After all, once they were installed in the tower, it would be difficult to ever see them again. The largest bell weighs in at 4,850 pounds and rings in middle C, the smallest, at 75 pounds, is in the note of G. A crane lifted each one into the tower. Finally, on Sunday, January 23, 1983, to kick off the church’s centennial, the bells of Heavenly Rest were in place and ready to ring as worshippers arrived. On that Sunday morning, Henry Tillett’s wish came true. He not only heard the bells but the following Sunday he had the honor of tolling a note to call parishioners to worship. He would hear the bells each Sunday before he passed away five months later.

Today, on the hour, the bells chime out the sixteen notes of the Westminster Quarters. ( The words are: All through this hour / Lord be my guide / That by thy power / No foot shall slide.) Then, at 3:15 each day, there’s reason to pause. So, indulge yourself with an afternoon respite. A calming peace will reverberate well after you drive away.

Five of the bells were paid for by the church and the other twenty were given by individuals or families, often in memory of a loved one. Their names are cast on the bells. 

In memory of Robert Dunbar Batjer Sr. (the largest bell)
In memory of Ben M. Davis
Lynn Gillespie Family
In memory of Ruth and Percy Jones
In memory of Mildred C. and H.H. Adams
Mary and French Robertson
Willie Wallace Brown
In memory of William Perry Sayles
Fred Gerlach Family
In memory of Leura and Cecil Childers
Lucia Miller Collins
In memory of H. Earnest Granville
Frank G. Thomas & Mary Booth Steward Family
Morgan Hubbard Family
J. Allen Baird Family
Guy McNallie & Pat Williams Family
Olive and Mate Leavitt
A.L. Cox Family
In memory of Hal Sayles and Pearl Grissom
Edna E. Alexander

Jay Moore, a retired Abilene High School history teacher, created the “History in Plain Sight” DVD series and is the author of several books about Abilene history.