Written by
Beth Farrah, SMT Writer
Missouri - During this Easter season, thousands of Missourians stretched out from east to west along Highway 60 and also north and south along Highway 63 while carrying large white crosses made out of pipes. Christians from all across the state stood out in the dreary weather while holding up the crosses on Good Friday to make the presence of God known to everyone.
Although it was rainy for almost everyone, many of the participants lasted the full six hours. This was a year of perseverance but it was also one of the largest groups within the past few years. Missouri had a goal to become one of the largest living crosses and had more than 3,000 crosses along both highways and thousands of participants that came out to support the great cause.
While standing along the major highways, the people carrying the crosses had to be sure to take extreme safety measures. Jim McNeill, a retired Missouri State Highway Patrolman, developed a well thought out safety guide for the volunteers to ensure that everyone was safe the entire time. With the weather conditions and the busy traffic, it was a top priority to keep everyone involved safe, no matter if they were driving or standing on the shoulder.
People from counties all over Missouri participated and made the event a great success. The main spots for the event included: Cairo, Charleston, Puxico, Bertrand, Sikeston, Essex, Morehouse, Thayer, Dexter, Dudley, Fisk, Gatewood, Huston, Camdenton, Poplar Bluff, and Cape Girardeau. Missouri’s Texas County had over 500 participants and ordered over 150 crosses to carry. Together, the large groups made a huge cross over the state of Missouri by standing along the intersecting highways.
The event was organized by David Craig, who created many spots or “zones” for people to stand at along the highways and passed out the large crosses to all the volunteers. Craig participated in radio broadcasts in different towns on Christian radio stations and kept a Facebook page updated with information, tips, and Bible scripture to encourage the number of participants. He also held a Carry the Cross meeting at Life Church in Sikeston a week before Good Friday to inform the newcomers and participants about the safety measures and the reason why Carry the Cross is such an important event.
To get that many crosses, many churches all over the state of Missouri held “Cross Building Parties”. The churches bought and donated pipes and spent their time cutting and building the crosses so that they can be distributed to participants that could not afford or build their own. The building parties were very successful and there were enough crosses for every participant to have.
“As Christians, our purpose is to make Him known,” Craig explained to the group of volunteers, “The cross is a tool to help us fulfill our purpose. The Cross is the sign and the symbol of the sacrificing love which has been at the heart of God from the foundation of the world. The Cross is a message of hope for a lost and confused world.”
The idea of Carry the Cross is to show God’s love and mercy for all who live on the earth. On Good Friday, Jesus died on the cross for our sins and three days later, on Easter Sunday, He rose again and is alive. The people that stood along the highways yesterday wanted to share the good news and give glory to God and his ultimate sacrifice.
Good Friday was filled with thanks and many witnesses stood with the crosses held high in honor of their savior. It was an amazing act and the numbers will hopefully increase drastically next year. Happy Easter!
