20 Years for The Cross at the Crossroads

Roger Marshall said that a golf outing to Robinson was part of the formation of The Cross at the Crossroads.

The retired pastor of First Baptist Church of Effingham said he was playing with the late John Schultz, who shared that he had seen a large cross in Texas and had a vision for a cross in the Effingham community. Schultz, Dr. Henry Poterucha and Bud Althoff were also part of that group who went to work to locate a cross locally. 

(ROGER MARSHALL)

The result is the 198-foot tall Cross at the Crossroads located along Interstates 57/70 near the Fayette Avenue interchange. A celebration to mark the 20th anniversary of the Cross dedication took place Sunday afternoon. 

Pastor Marshall took time to reminisce about the early days of the cross' creation, remembering the great big hole that was created to make sure of a firm foundation for the cross, and the plans to turn the lights on for the first time at the cross on Sunday, September 16, 2001. He didn't then, and doesn't now, think that the timing of the dedication was happenstance. On Tuesday, September 11, 2001, America was shaken to its core by the attacks on the nation that were marked on Saturday.

There was discussion at the time of the attacks as to whether the dedication of the Cross should be postponed, but the decision was made to go ahead with the plans on the 16th. 

There were also questions as to what sort of turnout could be expected for the dedication. That turned out not to be a cause for concern, as a crowd estimated at 2,000 were on hand for the event. The light reflecting off the cross dispelled much of the darkness that the nation was feeling in those days. 

Since then, the Cross at the Crossroads has continued to serve as a source of hope to many. 

Pastor Marshall spoke of a man who was driving to say goodbye to his parents before committing suicide, but that the Cross made him change his mind. He said a number of truckers have left messages tucked at the foot of the Cross sharing the inspiration they had drawn from it. 

The Cross at the Crossroads Board has begun a project to place statuary around the Cross grounds depicting events in the life of Jesus. A capital campaign is to begin soon to encourage funding support for the project. Two pieces are already in place.

(JORDAN PRIDE)

In addition to Roger Marshall's remarks, the group in attendance Sunday enjoyed music from singer-songwriters Jordan Pride, a Flora native, and Scott Wattles, who is a native of Jasper County.