Local Christians carry cross through Washington on Good Friday
Mona Canfield of Washington nails a piece of paper with a sin written on it to the cross while Richard Williams of Washington helps stabalize the cross. After the Good Friday cross walk, the crowd held a short worship service on the steps of Washington County Courthouse.
Pastor Paul Harrington from Living Stone Community Church and Richard Wood of Washington help carry a cross to Washington County Courthouse on Good Friday.
Several local churches came together for a cross walk that ended at Washington County Courthouse on Good Friday. At the end of the walk, the crowd gathered to sing songs and symbolically nail their sins to the cross.
Dave Harper of Venetia holds one of three crosses that were carried through Washington Good Friday. Members of Life Point, Living Stone Community and Faith Community Church Lakeside carried crosses and stopped along the route to the courthouse to pray.
Life carried on as usual Friday morning in the city of Washington. Sirens wailed, dogs barked and tractor-trailers hauled their loads as soft rain fell intermittently to the streets.
For many, the day was spent in the same manner as any other: getting to work, rushing to appointments or completing tasks. But for some, like Washington residents Jack Kaiser and Sean Gardner, Good Friday was a day to spend at least some time contemplating its meaning.
Kaiser and Gardner were heading to their homes after exercising when they heard a song coming from Washington County Courthouse.
Following the voice – that of Shawn Peoples, senior pastor of Faith Community Church Lakeside of McMurray – they changed their plans, crossing the street to participate in the unfolding scene.
Three groups of women, men and children converged, taking turns shouldering the burden of three 130-pound wooden crosses, as Peoples strummed his acoustic guitar and sang hymns.
“It’s powerful,” Kaiser said. “It’s really cool, the separation of church and state, and here we are on the courthouse steps.”
The gathering was a part of a cross walk, composed of members of Faith Community, Life Point and Living Stone Community churches, who journeyed from Washington Christian Outreach on Highland Avenue to the courthouse on South Main Street, commemorating the Crucifixion of Jesus in Jerusalem nearly 2,000 years ago.
At every block, the groups stopped to raise their crosses to the gray sky and pray for residents and leaders of the city and for people around the world.
“It’s a way for Christians to remember what our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has done for us, a memorial for us,” said the Rev. Paul Harrington, pastor-teacher of Living Stone Community Church, who delivered a sermon at the conclusion of the walk. “It brings attention to non-Christians, even if just for a passing thought. Maybe draw them to faith.”
Motorists and passersby looked on as the group made their pilgrimage, some honking or waving, but most quietly watching as parishioners carried their share of the burden.
Four years ago, members of Faith Community organized the cross walk, which has grown to include all three churches. Members forged three routes through the city to reach as many people as possible.
Don Davis, an elder of Faith Community, constructed the 10- and 12-foot crosses from cherry trees on his property, located about seven miles outside Washington.
“It’s a visualization to let the people in Washington who see and hear that it’s Good Friday. It’s not like any other day,” Davis said. “It’s something really neat that we can still do in this city and county, to gather at the courthouse in praise.”
After singing and hearing passages from the Bible, participants wrote sins on slips of paper, nailing each one to a cross placed at the top of the courthouse steps.
“There are a lot of things in our world that are discouraging right now. People are in great distress,” Harrington said. “The cross of Christ is somewhat of a mystery to people who don’t know him. For us who do, it is a source of hope in the midst of difficulties, because we know Jesus has risen, so all those who believe in him will rise as well.”