The Faith Community Nazarene Church is not only at the center of Atlanta, so are its new chimes audio system which ring in the hours from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Curley Kyzer at left has joined with Donnie Lowrey who is playing the drums in a music offering for the Sunday service. The reflection is coming from the plastic sound barrier.
Electronics leader Rick Corbett and his son Jayden are holding open the door to the old and no longer working chimes machine at the Faith Community Nazarene church.The analog system has been replaced with a digital one.
The worship area of the Faith Community Nazarene Church in Atlanta gives an impression of elegance.
t Curtis Coombs, pastor of the Faith Community Nazarene Church in Atlanta is giving his Sunday morning sermon which emphasized gratitude.
p The announcing sign of the First Community Nazarene Church on North Louise Street.
Chimes return to downtown Atlanta
The Faith Community Nazarene chimes rang out recently. People were charmed.
The bells are now sounding on the hour from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. They’re set to a 10-year calendar. That is, at holidays and festivals they’ll play pre-chosen seasonal songs. And even now at noon, they play a hymn after the hour is struck.
Nearby business employees inside their offices say they hear the chimes.
“Even if I know it’s 10 a. m., I’m still glad to be reminded,” said Rhonda Surratt with Edward Jones Investments.
“Brings me peace,” said Shawn Mendoza with the nearby Atlanta ISD administration building.
Church leaders, too, are enjoying the cheerful part. “Reminds everyone to come to church, we’re open,” said Pastor Curtis Coombs with a smile. Then, he added, with a bigger smile, “Really, the chimes are for the Lord.”
One reason Atlanta community members are so pleased to hear the chimes from the top of the red brick, white shuttered and steepled church at the center of town on North Louise and Main Streets, is that as many as 60 years ago the chimes rang out every day, too. It made “Welcome to Atlanta” a musical impression.
No one has looked up that history, but church electronics guru Rick Cornett who led in installing the latest system, says he would like to know why the citizens of a while ago put up their chimes. What was their compelling reason? What happened that they got turned off or taken down? No one knows at the moment, but if the answer is found, Citizens Journal-Sun will tell.
Cornett and his son, Atlanta High School sophomore Jayden Cornett, put up the four speakers that are each some 26 inches wide. Church member Shorty Elders helped and is credited with bringing it to the church board’s attention One interesting point is that members of the community pitched to help fund the new chime system. It was not just the church.
“The community and individuals provided half the funds and our church budgeted the other half,” the pastor said.
And so, let it be said that Atlanta is a bell tower town, with just one bit of correction for the impression given, however. The chime sound is not coming from the white steeple at the church’s front but rather from the back of the church the edge of the education building.
The speakers are too large for the room available in the steeple.
And the new speakers are not installed permanently. The church is awaiting roofing work before firmly installing the speakers. The sound seems to be coming from the steeple, however, and that’s all that’s needed when memory, imagination and appreciation are involved.