Bell Tower

A bell tower is a landmark, summoning the faithful to worship, and announcing the gospel to the public. Even before a tower bell is rung, the quiet church tower is never really silent. It indicates that an assembly, a gathered church, is here, in this place. Thus every church tower is a call to worship.

The 100-foot bell tower at the Church of the Transfiguration is home to a set of ten change-ringing bronze bells, cast by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry in London, England — the same foundry that cast “Big Ben” and the “Liberty Bell” and provided the bells for the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., and St. Paul’s Cathedral and Westminster Abbey in London. The bells ring out over the Community of Jesus and its environs in Orleans and Eastham, sounding forth the praises of God. The sculpture standing atop the bell tower is an angel, fashioned after the angels of the seven churches of the Book of Revelation. This “Angel of the Church” symbolizes the reality that the Lord and his angels watch over the worshiping Community and its church, and it challenges us to be witnesses of the celestial kingdom here on earth.

In keeping with the theme of the angel, seven of these bells are named for those churches in Asia to whom the letters were sent (Revelation 2 & 3) via their angels: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. The other three bells are named for local churches and towns: Orleans, Eastham, and the Community of Jesus.

Videos

Casting of the Bells: An inside look at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry in London, England.

Design and Construction: the bell tower at the Church of the Transfiguration, Orleans MA.