ArchitectureSouth.com

Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal

August 11, 2007

TUPELO - Downtown has recently been serenaded by the haunting sound of church bells. Those bells toll within a brick tower, embossed with Celtic crosses, which stands in the foreground of All Saints' Episcopal Church.

The tower is the display piece of the handsome new program facilities, soon to be officially dedicated.
The facilities are the fruit of a focused capital campaign called "Envision: The Way Forward," which to date has yielded $2.3 million of the estimated total $4.25 million pricetag.

"This project was undertaken with an eye toward the future," said Les Alvis, All Saints' senior warden, who has played an integral role in the project.

"We've had some visionary leaders here - priests and lay people - who were able to assess need, potential growth, etc., and plan accordingly," added Junior Warden Albert White. "We met and exceeded our goal, which shows that you can do a thing on faith."One of those leaders was the Rev. Shannon Johnston, whose arrival in 1994 heralded a period of unprecedented growth and vitality in the congregation. "Coming here he probably got more than he expected, but he rose to the occasion," recalled Alvis.

Johnston was elected bishop coadjutor for the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia earlier this year and left All Saints' in April. The church is currently without a rector, or chief pastor, but is being served by the Rev. Dr. Michael Lippard, a Lutheran pastor, and the Rev. Gene Asbury, the retired former priest associate of the parish.

Service a Theme

That idea of service to the community was another guiding theme for architect and parishioner Gus Staub.
"Service is part of the gospel, as we see it," said Sparks, noting that the plan for the kitchen is eventually to serve not only the parish but the community as well: All Saints hopes to resume serving sack lunches for the poor during Sunday services, as well as operating a soup kitchen in the future.

"We made a conscious decision to remain part of the downtown community, and service to community is important to us," Sparks added.

As part of the downtown landscape for almost a century, All Saints values its place within that community and continues to be excited about growing with the city. They invite people to worship with them at a special 9:30 a.m. service this Sunday and to attend the dedication ceremony for the bells immediately following.

"If you look at the property's rooftops from the library parking lot, there's the appearance of a gradual ascendancy," said White, noting the theological and civic symbolism as the bells tolled behind him. "We reflect on that often around here."

IMAGES COURTESY OF NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI DAILY JOURNAL