Post by Paddy by Grace on Mar 5, 2010 19:39:46 GMT -7
There's something quintessentially American roadtrip-y about driving past those huge steel crosses. And, come to think of it, there's something kinda Texan about it, too.
Texas is home to some pretty big crosses, including a 190-footer in Groome, along I-40 outside of Amarillo. There's also a 100-foot cross with a chapel in Ballinger. And plenty more that passersby catch on cell phone cams.
Houston's biggest is Sagemont Church's 170-foot cross at I-45 and Highway 8. (It's taller than the Statue of Liberty and was built that tall "Because the FAA would not let us build it to 250 feet tall. That's why," said the church's pastor John Morgan, at its dedication a year ago.) Plus there's the white-neon cross on the side of the St. Joseph Professional Building downtown. And plans for two more, up to 200 feet tall, along I-45. (Rev. Matt Tittle, a local Unitarian Universalist minister and blogger, was not a fan of their proposal to make Houston a city of crosses.)
But, turns out, the process for building these enormous crosses isn't easy. Even though they're on private land, zoning regulations or angry neighbors can cause a legal stir.
And that's why a 77-foot-tall brown cross has been laying flat on a Texas hillside since November.
Neighbors filed suit to keep the Coming King Foundation in Kerrville, west of Austin and San Antonia, from erecting the central sculpture in its $7 million Christian religious garden, but they've come to an agreement that allows the cross to finally stand... once the organization builds a fence to keep neighbors from seeing it and situates a parking lot at its base. And raises more money to pay for all that.
"Other churches have called us and shared similar situations," said Ryan Huff, a trustee and office manager for Coming King. "There's always the possibility (that people will respond negatively), but we're at peace with it. It's God's timing, and we'll trust him."
The organization says the cross, which will go up as soon as it raises about $150,000 to cover final costs, will pioneer "eye-gate evangelism," reaching out to those who drive past. Many churches that have also erected giant crosses see it as a way to counter trashy billboards for gentlemen's clubs.
PHOTO GALLERY
Texas is home to some pretty big crosses, including a 190-footer in Groome, along I-40 outside of Amarillo. There's also a 100-foot cross with a chapel in Ballinger. And plenty more that passersby catch on cell phone cams.
Houston's biggest is Sagemont Church's 170-foot cross at I-45 and Highway 8. (It's taller than the Statue of Liberty and was built that tall "Because the FAA would not let us build it to 250 feet tall. That's why," said the church's pastor John Morgan, at its dedication a year ago.) Plus there's the white-neon cross on the side of the St. Joseph Professional Building downtown. And plans for two more, up to 200 feet tall, along I-45. (Rev. Matt Tittle, a local Unitarian Universalist minister and blogger, was not a fan of their proposal to make Houston a city of crosses.)
But, turns out, the process for building these enormous crosses isn't easy. Even though they're on private land, zoning regulations or angry neighbors can cause a legal stir.
And that's why a 77-foot-tall brown cross has been laying flat on a Texas hillside since November.
Neighbors filed suit to keep the Coming King Foundation in Kerrville, west of Austin and San Antonia, from erecting the central sculpture in its $7 million Christian religious garden, but they've come to an agreement that allows the cross to finally stand... once the organization builds a fence to keep neighbors from seeing it and situates a parking lot at its base. And raises more money to pay for all that.
"Other churches have called us and shared similar situations," said Ryan Huff, a trustee and office manager for Coming King. "There's always the possibility (that people will respond negatively), but we're at peace with it. It's God's timing, and we'll trust him."
The organization says the cross, which will go up as soon as it raises about $150,000 to cover final costs, will pioneer "eye-gate evangelism," reaching out to those who drive past. Many churches that have also erected giant crosses see it as a way to counter trashy billboards for gentlemen's clubs.
PHOTO GALLERY