CityView Magazine

FEATURE For Whom the Bell Tolls Fayetteville���s church bells resonate with meaning and history T By Bryan Mims he notes come drifting in from somewhere on high, over treetops and rooftops and car tops, ringing in my ears as my feet hit the parking lot. They are old and familiar notes, notes that have graced the pages of hymnals for more than two centuries. Blessed be the tie that binds Our hearts in Christian love The notes come drifting in as dings and dongs, as clangs and peals, as metal tongues striking cast metal shells. The notes are my daily reveille, cueing me to face the music of another-9-to-6 to be recorded on a timesheet. In my seven years of clocking in at the Systel building in downtown Fayetteville, the bells of the First Presbyterian Church have faithfully serenaded me at the stroke of 9 a.m. And so it goes: The fellowship of kindred minds Is like to that above �� I expect them to be there, much as I expect the sun to rise and the engine to turn and the radio to deliver the time, temperature and traffic. Sometimes in my haste and self-absorption (I���m running late! My cell phone���s not charged! I forgot my lunch!), I don���t even notice the bells. Like the hum of traffic on Green Street, or the screech of a siren three blocks away, or the blare of a CSX train over Hay Street, the bells ��� those beautiful bells ��� become mere background noise. But even with all our earthly cares, the inspiration from somewhere on high is there for the taking, if only we���d listen. Before our Father���s throne We pour our ardent prayers There are those days ��� those beautiful days ��� when I do take notice; when I recognize a hymn and hum along; when for a few moments there���s a spring in my step on a cold winter���s morning; when the notes from on high have given my spirit a much-needed lift. One nippy afternoon, with the subtle opening notes of spring in the air, I went in search of the source. CityViewNC.com | 37

• Cover