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February 27, 2006

Display erected along U.S. 41 on north side of Terre Haute

By Howard Greninger

At just under 50 feet tall, with a 35-foot crossbeam and letters 31/2 feet tall, it’s difficult not to see the message — “Jesus Saves” — when traveling along U.S. 41 on Terre Haute’s north side.

But that’s the whole idea of the large cross.

“What the cross is doing is exactly what it has done for 2,000 years. It is in-your-face evangelism. I couldn’t preach a better sermon than what that cross is doing,” said the Rev. Keith E. Taylor of the 1,400-member church at 2929 N. Seventh St. Church members put up the cross through donations.

“Churches should be the focal point for everything in the community. We want people to know that there is a better way,” Taylor said. “It is the simple message of the cross.”

The church has even changed its name of 85 years, formerly First Assembly of God, to Cross Tabernacle, the pastor said. The cross was erected on Monday.

Taylor said it is another ministry of the church, which also provides 1,500 backpacks filled with school supplies annually to the Terre Haute Housing Authority and provides transportation each Wednesday to feed a hot meal to 60 inner-city children. The church’s Web site, www.crosst.org, had more than 1 million hits last year, he said.

“In the age that we are living in and with the city facing addictions with meth, we felt it was God’s timing to assert a little more presence in the city. It is quite an eye-catcher. Travelers can see that somebody’s not ashamed of the cross and the Gospel,” Taylor said.

The cross’s main section is a bridge I-beam, with about an additional 13 feet set into more than 30 yards of concrete underground, Taylor said. The church expects to illuminate the cross in the next three to four months, he said. The cross has a small, flashing red light on top to attract attention, Taylor said.

The cross is smaller than several communication towers throughout Terre Haute, which rise up to 100 feet, Taylor said.

The idea of a large cross is not new.

The 50-foot cross in Terre Haute is small compared with a 198-foot tall cross, with a 113-foot crossbar, near the intersection of Interstate 70 and Interstate 57 in Effingham, Ill., an idea that sprouted from the First Baptist Church of Effingham.

While not unique, it is the first large cross in the Wabash Valley, something some nearby residents say they did not realize was being planned.

“I would have liked to have been notified in person,” said Mike Dowell, co-owner of JJ Smith Flower Shop and Gardens. The company owns lands adjacent to the church.

“It is an eyesore and it overpowers our property that we are trying to sell and our business that has been there over 150 years. It is very overpowering and does not fit in with the neighborhood,” Dowell said.

Nearby Collett Park is a historic area and Dowell said the large cross is really just a huge sign.

“It is good to have some type of religion, as religion is good for the human soul, but I don’t like people trying to shove their religion down my throat,” Dowell said. “That is overkill.”

Anne Bloxdorf, who lives in the 2500 block of North Ninth Street, about four blocks from the cross, said she didn’t notice the cross at first, despite driving past it a few times on Seventh Street.

“The church takes care of the property and it is their property. It is huge, but I would rather see a cross than a dirty piece of property,” Bloxdorf said.

Rick Mascari, a longtime resident of Collett Park and the president of the neighborhood association, said he could not speak for the association because it had yet to discuss the cross.

“As a resident and a Christian, I can say I’m not offended by the message [of the cross],” he said. “I just wonder if maybe there’s a better way to spread that message.”

Mascari said he admired what the church had done with its building and grounds in the past. “It’s a nice church,” he said. However, he said he knew someone who has been interested in buying the property adjacent to the church “and putting some nice houses there,” and that would likely not happen now, “especially if that sign is going to be lighted up.”

The church obtained a variance from the Terre Haute Board of Zoning Appeals on Jan. 4. The cross is not designated as a sign, but rather as an accessory building, said Jeremy Weir, executive director of the Vigo County Area Planning Department.

The church obtained a 35-foot variance from Terre Haute’s 15-foot height restriction for accessory buildings, such as garages.

“When we first saw this, we thought ‘What is the purpose behind this?’ But they want to spread the word of God and it is difficult for us to tell them how to do this,” Weir said.

Under zoning law, adjacent property owners were to be notified, plus a sign was placed on the property announcing the zoning appeal request as well as a legal notification published in the Tribune-Star, Weir said. Dowell, however, said he was not notified.

“It is a residential zoning district and religious uses are allowed,” Weir said.

Howard Greninger can be reached at (812) 231-4204 or howard.greninger@tribstar.com.

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