Like many folks today my family likes to travel within the state of Mississippi to small towns, events, ceremonies, etc. I had been looking at antique shops, junk stores for a large church bell. I had come to a point of giving up on the church bell of the size I wanted; a working bell thirty-six inches or larger is hard to find. When you were fortunate to find one, it was not for sale.
One day we decided to travel Hwy 61 to Memphis and see the Mississippi delta. We had departed Greenville, MS heading north when we came to a typical small delta town, Shaw, MS.
Shaw is not as well known as many delta towns like Itta Bena, Morehead, Ruleville, Money, Drew, Doddsville (birthplace of James Eastland, former and longtime senator from Mississippi) and Sunflower. Along side Hwy 61 north of Shaw was a junkyard and antiques business with three very large church bells in the front yard. I could not believe what I had seen and turned around and went back to the business.
There sat what I had always wanted - well worn church bells each thirty-six inches and three to choose from.
The owner said it was pure luck he had bought the bells from people and churches in the surrounding area. He further explained the bell I selected from the three had come from a small African-American church in the delta. It was the best of the three. I told the owner I would be back the next day to formally purchase the bell. In hindsight, I wished I had bought all three bells for some future use. I had plans when I purchased the bell to build a tower of some kind in my yard for its placement and enjoyment.
Over time, while trying to decide about whether or not to place a tower in my yard, the bell was stored at my residence. Now comes what many ‘call the rest and final chapter of the story.’ With Mt. Zion’s fiftieth anniversary approaching, a proposal was made to the church for a pavilion, sign, live oak tree and a bell tower. Every bell tower needs a bell! A gracious donation was made to cover the costs of all of the projects, and the church approved the proposals. All the projects were completed and dedicated by Mt. Zion on the fiftieth anniversary as planned. The delta bell now at Mt. Zion Baptist Church sits atop our tower for all to enjoy and ring for the Glory of God - a bell, not rusting away, but serving a family of faith, just where it ought to be.