I am one
of those strange people who enjoy hours of uninterrupted driving (as long as
traffic is moving) because it usually gives me a long stretch of time where I
can think. Obviously, while driving I have to stay focused on the road and what
is going on around me. The result is a unique interplay between a series of
immediate observations, related to the world that is quickly moving past me
outside the vehicle, and whatever idea I am trying to focus on. It makes for
some interesting connections! Last week, I spent a lot of time driving and I was particularly encouraged by the
repeated site of three crosses along the road at irregular intervals. I have
seen these kinds of crosses before but I became particularly aware of them on
this trip because of the frequency with which I encountered them.
I was encouraged because it was a repeated incentive for me to connect whatever
I was thinking about at the moment to the most important truth I know, namely that Jesus
Christ died for my sins.
Each
cluster was comprised of a larger gold cross, flanked by two slightly smaller
blue crosses, always placed so that they are easily seen from the road. A little bit of internet research revealed, the crosses were the work of Pastor Bernard
Coffindaffer of Craigsville West Virginia. Bernard Coffindaffer was a WWII veteran
of the U.S. Marines who served in the Pacific at Iwo Jima and Nagasaki. After the
military, he earned a business degree and went on to become a successful
businessman.
When he was
42 years old, Coffindaffer converted to Christianity and eventually became a
Methodist minister. While still running his business he served several small
churches in West Virginia. After encountering health issues pastor Coffindaffer
decided to sell his company and focus his remaining energy on ministry work. A
couple of years later he had a vision that convinced him that God wanted him to
plant crosses. He had earned a good deal of money from his business and in 1984
he used his own funds to start the Crosses Across America project.
He set up
an office in his home, hired a secretary, and employed seven work crews to
travel across the country erecting the crosses on land donated for the displays.
From 1984 until his death in 1993, pastor Coffindaffer spent over $3,000,000 of
his own money and erected 1,864 clusters of crosses in 29 states, the District
of Columbia, and the countries of Zambia and the Philippines. Dedication
services were held at each site that included scripture reading and prayers. Pastor
Coffindaffer explained the meaning behind the crosses saying, “They're up for only one sole reason, and
that's this- to remind people that Jesus was crucified on a cross at Calvary
for our sins, and that He Is soon coming again.” If there is a single message we
all need to be reminded of constantly, it is that one.
I do not
know much about pastor Coffindaffer or his theology but I appreciate the simple
yet profound reminder that the crosses he planted have offered me in my travels.
