An Abilene Parish That Welcomes the Whole City in Three Languages of Worship
On Meander Street in Abilene, Texas, the Episcopal Church of the Heavenly Rest anchors a campus where the day often begins with a harp solo and ends with sung Compline from a packed Gerhart Hall. Known across the city for the breadth of its music program and for the unusual sight of a Swahili-language service in a Texas congregation, the parish gathers Sunday after Sunday under the motto "God's Love. For All." The church describes its mission plainly: it is dedicated to serving and creating community by proclaiming the good news of God's love for all.
Three Services Each Sunday Morning
Heavenly Rest is one of the few parishes in the region to hold a Swahili-language Eucharist every week. The Sunday schedule unfolds in three services, all held in the Nave:
- 8:00 a.m. - Holy Eucharist, Rite I, with harp prelude
- 10:30 a.m. - Holy Eucharist, Rite II, led by the Adult Choir and livestreamed on the parish Facebook page and at heavenlyrestabilene.org/watch
- 1:00 p.m. - Worship in Swahili, led by Deacon Bikole Mulanda
Holy Communion is the normal practice at every Sunday service. Gluten-free wafers are available, anyone who cannot climb the altar stairs can receive communion at a floor station, and members of the clergy are glad to bring communion to anyone who needs it.
A Warm, Plain-Language Welcome for Visitors
The parish takes seriously the question "what is going to happen next?" A detailed Worship Guide on the parish site walks newcomers through the service in everyday language. The smaller red book in the pew rack is the Book of Common Prayer; the larger blue book is the Hymnal 1982. Hymnals and bulletins sit ready, and the bulletin already contains the full text of the liturgy so no one is lost.
Worship at Heavenly Rest is rooted in the Anglican tradition - described in the parish's own words as a middle way between Roman Catholicism and the Protestant Reformation, "Catholic in worship and Protestant in our doctrine." People kneel to pray, stand to sing, and sit to listen. Many make the sign of the cross; some genuflect; some sit in quiet prayer before the service begins. None of these gestures is expected of visitors. Ushers greet at the door, and a verger leads the 10:30 a.m. procession with a ceremonial verge - a reminder, as the parish puts it, that those gathered "have left behind our everyday lives and entered into God's presence."
Receiving communion is open to all who wish to. Worshipers may eat the bread and drink from the common cup, intinct (dip) the bread into the wine, or cross arms over the chest to receive a blessing instead. The parish invites visitors to come to the altar rail without hesitation.
A Music Program That Sings Across Generations
Music is woven through nearly everything at Heavenly Rest. Thomas Pavlechko serves as Organist and Director of Music, overseeing an unusually broad program for a parish of this size. The Adult Choir - a mix of experienced singers, university voice majors, music educators, and newcomers - leads worship at 10:30 a.m. and at festival Eucharists. Rehearsals run Wednesdays from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. (late August through mid-May), with a brief Sunday warm-up at 9:45 a.m. The choir's repertory stretches from Renaissance and Baroque masterworks through Romantic, twentieth-, and twenty-first-century choral classics.
The Canterbury Ringers, the adult handbell ensemble, ring once a month at the 10:30 a.m. service and rehearse Wednesdays from 6:40 to 7:15 p.m. The Heavenly Rest Choristers welcome boys from fourth grade through voice change and girls from fourth through twelfth grade, drawing on a five-hundred-year tradition that includes sight-singing and Latin pronunciation. They rehearse Wednesdays from 5:15 to 6:00 p.m. and sing two to three times a month.
Younger still, the Children's Choir is open to any child from kindergarten through third grade who can carry a tune. It focuses on fostering a love of music through singing, movement, and exploration of instruments, and sings in church six to eight times a year.
Beyond worship music, the parish offers the Abilene community the Heavenly Rest Chamber Music Concert Series, now in its nineteenth season. Concerts are free, supported by donors, and feature local professionals alongside world-renowned visiting musicians. The series typically runs Sunday evenings from October through May in the Nave.
Children, Youth, and Families on Wednesday Nights
Carol Ann Weston directs Family Ministries, coordinating programs from the nursery through high school. Children from birth through fifth grade gather Sunday mornings from 9:15 to 10:15 a.m. for Godly Play (ages three through second grade) and Gospel-rooted Bible study with crafts and games for older elementary students. Wiggle Worship, a special time during the sermon for children four through seven, lets the youngest worshipers step out for an active experience with a priest or deacon.
Youth in grades six through twelve meet Sunday mornings in the Upper Parish Hall and gather as the Episcopal Youth Community on Wednesday evenings during the school year. The evening begins with supper in Gerhart Hall or the courtyard at 6:00 p.m., followed by conversation, games, fellowship, and prayer in the Youth Room. Monthly weekend activities - apple orchards, miniature golf, light festivals, and service projects - fill the calendar between.
Confirmation preparation for high-schoolers runs through Exploring Spiritual Treasure on Sundays from 9:00 to 10:15 a.m., alongside adults considering confirmation, those new to the Episcopal Church, and anyone seeking a deeper spiritual life.
Wednesday nights are the spine of parish-wide formation. Children from birth through four meet in the nursery while grades K-5 gather upstairs in the Parish House from 6:30 to 7:15 p.m. The intergenerational evening begins with a family meal at 6:00 p.m. and closes with sung Compline at 7:15.
Students in grades six through twelve may also serve as acolytes, joining a corps of about twenty young people who carry crosses and torches, assist at the altar, and support the deacon in the liturgy.
Adult Formation for Every Stage of the Journey
Adults at Heavenly Rest can choose among several formation paths on a Sunday morning. Exploring Spiritual Treasure meets Sundays from 9:00 to 10:15 a.m. in Gerhart Hall. The intergenerational class covers topics such as the sacraments, the Book of Common Prayer, Holy Scripture, the church calendar, and the music that shapes Episcopal worship, and it leads naturally toward confirmation and new membership.
The Coffee Talks Sunday school class gathers at 9:15 a.m. in the Gen von Ende room. Participants watch a carefully selected short video and then dive into discussion about authentic Christian living. Age ranges in the room stretch across several decades.
Quiet Ministries That Hold the Parish Together
Boxes for Babies welcomes each new child of the parish with a hand-stitched quilt or afghan from the Quilt and Shawl Ministry, presented to the family after birth. Lay Readers (sometimes called Lay Ministers) assist the clergy at every service - Sunday morning, Sunday afternoon, Wednesday evening, weekday Eucharists, weddings, and funerals; training is provided, and volunteers typically serve one to three Sundays a quarter.
The Building and Grounds committee maintains the campus - HVAC, lawn care, plumbing, electrical, and the columbarium and courtyard - and welcomes helping hands on days other than Sunday.
Service is also woven directly into youth and family programs. Older-elementary and middle-school Sunday school classes regularly assemble snack bags and hygiene kits for neighbors experiencing homelessness in Abilene. The youth gather to make sandwiches and support other local outreach efforts throughout the year.
Clergy, Staff, and Governance
David Romanik has served as rector since May 2019, having first served the parish as Associate Rector earlier in his ordained ministry. A Connecticut native, he holds degrees from Boston University and Virginia Theological Seminary. The clergy team includes Ashley Powers as Associate Rector, Amanda Watson as Assistant Rector for Community Life, Karen Boyd as Assisting Priest, Dr. Doug Thomas as Priest in Residence, and Joe Biles as Curate and Pastoral Assistant. The Rev. Dr. Russell Dickerson serves as deacon, and the Rev. Bikole Mulanda serves as deacon and Swahili Minister.
The parish is governed by a vestry led by Senior Warden Kate Haney and Junior Warden Dru Hall, with a treasurer, secretary, chancellor, and chairs for administration and ministry. The rector presides over the vestry, which helps define the mission of the congregation and selects the rector when the position is open.
Giving is supported through online contributions, pew sheets and bulletins are available for download each week, and services can be watched live or replayed online. A weekly podcast offers the Sunday sermon as well.