Chattanooga Church Erects 125-foot Cross Monument
A Chattanooga, Tennessee Church of God has erected three massive crosses on their property where 75,000 cars pass the site on Interstate 75 every day.
A 125-foot-high cross, flanked by two 100-foot crosses, will grace the Church of God congregation called The Crossing. The monument is the largest of its kind in the area.
Pastor Terry and Kaye Harris brave a ride in a bucket lift to release balloons, along with The Crossing congregation, to commemorate the erection of the crosses. Click on image to enlarge.
As the crosses were still being mounted in place with massive cranes on August 8, members of The Crossing congregation gathered for a short ceremony. Senior Pastor Terry Harris and his wife Kaye braved a 100-foot bucket lift ride nearly to the top of the tallest cross, where they released a cluster of red balloons along with the congregation. All three major television networks from Chattanooga were on hand to witness the event.
According to a report in the August 8, 2013 edition of the Chattanooga Times Free-Press, Pastor Harris said the crosses — a $700,000 project — are meant as a daily witness to passers-by.
“We believe the crosses will represent a bold reminder to all who pass by of Jesus’ sacrificial death for their sins,” he said.
The white, tempered-steel crosses are being installed over several days by Headrick Cos. of Laurel, Miss., which also designed and manufactured them. The crosses, which are not close to any residential property and nearly 200 feet from the highway, will be lit at night and, in six weeks, will be surrounded by a prayer walk on the ground at their feet. There, visitors will be invited to walk a path and observe the 13 stages of the cross, artistic representations of the last hours of Christ.
“We hope it will help people put [the story of the crucifixion] together,” Harris said. “That’s what we want them to be able to do.”
The Times Free Press report stated that Matt Largen, project manager and account representative for Headrick, said the three-cross cluster is one of only a handful of its size it has erected in the country. Headrick has installed taller single crosses — up to 199 feet — but no trio that’s larger than these, he said. The crosses required four trailers of materials to transport from Mississippi, according to Largen. The company also sent two cranes and “a pretty decent crew of people” to erect the crosses, he said, but even so, a local crane service also was hired.
Chattanooga architectural firm Rardin & Carroll developed a multiphase master plan — including the crosses’ plaza — for an update of the entire eight-acre Crossing Church facilities nearly four years ago. At the time, said architect Steve Carroll, the firm handled all the zoning and other permitting from the city that might be necessary for the crosses and any future building.
In doing so, the Tennessee Department of Transportation was consulted about how far away the crosses were from the interstate in the unlikely case they fell, and the Federal Aviation Administration was notified in case there were any potential height restrictions. Balloons even were raised to determine the best visibility of the crosses for passers-by.
Harris has served as senior pastor of the church since 1994. It was formerly known as the East Ridge Church of God and was located approximately 15 miles from today’s location. The idea for the crosses came nearly 10 years ago when the congregation bought the property from the former Woodland Park Baptist Church. The geography of the move dictated a name change, and the pastor said it was “in my heart to name it” The Crossing and erect crosses on the property as he’d seen elsewhere.
Pastor Harris said the crosses represent the scriptural Calvary, where Jesus was crucified between two thieves. The Crossing name, he said, also represents the children of Israel crossing the Jordan River and into the Promised Land.
Harris told the Times Free Press that, “We believe it is God’s intention to use these three crosses to make a bold statement locally, nationally and internationally of Christ’s sacrifice and God’s love for all mankind.”
(Chattanooga Times Free Press reporter Clint Cooper contributed to this article.)
