{"id":47060,"date":"2026-09-17T10:37:15","date_gmt":"2026-09-17T15:37:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/?p=47060"},"modified":"2026-09-17T10:37:15","modified_gmt":"2026-09-17T15:37:15","slug":"cross-celebration-saturday-also-designed-to-mark-americas-250th","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/local-news\/47060-cross-celebration-saturday-also-designed-to-mark-americas-250th\/","title":{"rendered":"Cross Celebration Saturday Also Designed to Mark America&#8217;s 250th"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"pdfprnt-buttons pdfprnt-buttons-post pdfprnt-top-right\"><a href=\"javascript: window.print()\" class=\"pdfprnt-button pdfprnt-button-print\" target=\"_self\" ><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/wp-content\/plugins\/pdf-print\/images\/print.png\" alt=\"image_print\" title=\"Print Content\" \/><span class=\"pdfprnt-button-title pdfprnt-button-print-title\">Print<\/span><\/a><\/div><p>The Cross at the Crossroads will commemorate two significant milestones during 25 Years of Faith, Hope and Impact, a free community celebration event planned for Saturday, September 19, from 6\u20139 pm at the Cross, located at 1900 Pike Avenue in Effingham.<\/p>\n<p>The event will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Cross at the Crossroads while also honoring the lives affected by the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The Cross was dedicated on September 16, 2001\u2014just five days after September 11\u2014and stands as the most universal symbol of faith.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Cross has stood as a beacon of hope and a reminder of God\u2019s enduring presence,\u201d said Matt Cekander, Cross Foundation Board member and emcee for the anniversary celebration. \u201cWe invite our community and visitors from near and far to join us as we celebrate and give thanks for 25 years of sharing Christ\u2019s message.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Food and family activities will begin at 6 pm. Complimentary hamburgers, hot dogs and chips will be served from 6\u20137 pm, courtesy of Save-A-Lot in Effingham and The Cross Foundation. Koerner Distributors will provide drinks, and Culver\u2019s and Teutopolis Treats will provide ice cream. A prayer service will begin at 6:30 pm and will include worship music by Hillary Beard. At 6:45 pm, EchoTap will take the stage to perform Christian and contemporary music. The evening will culminate at 8 pm with Effingham\u2019s first-ever drone show. A fleet of 250 drones will fill the night sky with Christian and patriotic images during a 15-minute display synchronized to music.<\/p>\n<p>Additional activities and opportunities throughout the evening will include:<br \/>\n\uf0b7 A free commemorative gift for the first 500 families<br \/>\n\uf0b7 A free glow stick for the first 250 children<br \/>\n\uf0b7 A Prayer and Praise Wall inside the Welcome Center, where guests may<br \/>\nsubmit prayer requests or share praises<br \/>\n\uf0b7 A children\u2019s bounce house<br \/>\n\uf0b7 The opportunity to walk the Life of Jesus Pathway, featuring life-size bronze<br \/>\nstatues depicting meaningful moments from the life of Jesus<br \/>\n\uf0b7 Time to explore the peaceful Cross campus and Welcome Center.<\/p>\n<p>Guests are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets. Parking will be available on the Cross campus and at neighboring businesses. Attendees should watch for signs directing them to designated parking areas.<\/p>\n<p>Admission is free. Free-will offerings will be accepted to support the mission of the Cross at the Crossroads: to share the Christian message of love, forgiveness, hope and eternal life through Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n<p>The Cross at the Crossroads gratefully recognizes the generous sponsors helping make this community celebration possible:<\/p>\n<p>\uf0b7 Dr. Rick &amp; Angie Workman Family<br \/>\n\uf0b7 Ann &amp; Dennis Deters Family<br \/>\n\uf0b7 Anonymous Donor<br \/>\n\uf0b7 Beck\u2019s<br \/>\n\uf0b7 J&amp;J Ventures<br \/>\n\uf0b7 Mid Illinois Concrete<br \/>\n\uf0b7 Agracel<br \/>\n\uf0b7 AKRA<br \/>\n\uf0b7 Effingham Tourism Board<br \/>\n\uf0b7 Koerner Distributors<br \/>\n\uf0b7 Save-A-Lot<br \/>\n\uf0b7 Culver\u2019s<br \/>\n\uf0b7 Teutopolis Treats<\/p>\n<p>For more information, visit CrossUSA.org, call 217-821-5287, or follow @TheCrossInEffingham on social media.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Cross at the Crossroads will commemorate two significant milestones during 25 Years of Faith, Hope and Impact, a free community celebration event planned for Saturday, September 19, from 6\u20139 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":46439,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":"","_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-47060","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.5 - 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