Stories
Crafted In Faith
“Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). There they crucified him, and with him two others – one on each side and Jesus in the middle.” John 19:17-18
Standing near the front steps of Buncombe Street Methodist Church is a large, beautiful cross. Many members will remember our traditional flowered cross that stood in that spot each Easter morning, where families would bring flowers to add to the cross and where Easter family photos were taken. Sadly, the years had taken their toll on that cross. After Easter in 2023, Buncombe Street Member and Troop 9 Scoutmaster Todd Harris decided that, with the help of the Boy Scout Troop 9 members, he would build a new cross, one that would better represent the sacrifice that Christ made for all of us.
Todd started researching everything he could find about Christ’s cross, the dimensions, the size, and the wood, and found an 8 x 8 old beam through an artisan at Taylors Mill. The beam was over 200 years old, reclaimed from an old cabin, weathered with old nail holes. The owner of the beam was a Jewish carpenter who insisted on helping Todd make the notch to put the cross-beam in. The man had been hired to go to Jerusalem to make a cross for a church there and knew there was a special way to make the notch. Together they put the cross together and then Todd stained it to make it look older and more weathered.
When it was ready, after a Wednesday night Scout meeting and after some volunteers dug a hole in the ground, some of the scouts carried the very heavy cross, weighing several hundred pounds, to the front of the church. As it was being carried, several scouts and parents talked about how this experience was helping them understand what Christ did for all of us so many years ago. When they got to the front of the church, and slipped the cross into the ground, it landed with a thud, making the ground tremble. Todd nailed shims in the bottom, and each time it sounded like a hammer hitting a nail into Christ’s hands and feet. After everything was complete, the scouts and parents circled the cross, laid their hands on it, and prayed over it.
The Bible says a child shall lead them (Isaiah 11:6). How many people driving by that Wednesday night saw a group of youth carrying a cross and praying around it. Maybe some seeds were planted to help others accept Christ into their hearts.
Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” 1 Corinthians 1:18
