Gray skies and rain didn't prevent Westminster churchgoers from holding their annual Good Friday tradition of walking a wooden cross through the downtown area from one church to another.
"Rain or shine, regardless of weather, they still gather," said Pastor Glenn McCrickard, spiritual leader of Westminster Church of the Brethren, who organized this year's Cross Walk.
The Christian holiday Good Friday is in honor of the crucifixtion of Jesus, when he was tried and hung on the Cross, the most solemn day of the Christian calendar, McCrickard explained.
"We mark that as a reminder of his sacrifice as we look forward then to Easter Sunday and his resurrection," McCrickard said.
More than 100 people marched down a roughly one-mile route that began at 11 a.m. at Grace Lutheran Church on Carroll Street and ended at St. John Catholic Church on Monroe Street, culminating with a noon service. The event has been held annually for the past 28 years not only to commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus, but to unify the Christian community, McCrickard said.
"In spite of our doctrinal differences, this is one place we can try to stand together, at a time when people's lives are fractured" McCrickard said. "In the world that we live in there are lots of tensions among people and among different faiths.
"This is a way of coming together, in a visual way to stand together with one another," he said.
Karen Miller, of Westminster, a member at St. John Catholic Church, was among the crowd standing in front of Grace Lutheran before the walk commenced. She agreed that a public display of unity among those of the Christian faith is important.
"It might be the most important aspect, when you see all the turmoil in the world," Miller said.
Miller, who has been participating in the walk for five years, said they want to set an example for others in the community.
"For people who aren't religious, we want them to be curious to see what this is all about," Miller said.
The Rev. Dr. Marty Kuchma, pastor of St. Paul's United Church of Christ, has walked alongside churchgoers for 10 years.
"I love the community aspect of it — we claim to be a unified church and this is a great example of that," Kuchma said of St. Paul's, which he describes as an "open and affirming congregation."
Wayne Morrison, a member of St. Paul's United Church of Christ, played the bagpipes, drawing attention to the group following the wooden cross.
Although there is no connection between the reed instrument and the holiday, Morrison said it's a way to bring music to the nearly 200 people who typically turn out for the event.
"They tried having guitar players years ago, but not everybody could hear them," Morrison said.
Participating churches included Grace Lutheran Church, St. Paul's United Church of Christ, Westminster Church of the Brethren, Westminster United Methodist Church, Westminster Presbyterian Church, Ascension Episcopalian Church and St. John Catholic Church, McCrickard said.
Each year, the walk has a theme determined by the ministerium, a group of clergy from community churches who organized the event. This year's theme was "Jesus' Journey to the Cross." There were four stops on the walk including one at a community garden at the intersection of 25th Street and Milton Avenue, and another at Dutterer Family Park, where walkers stopped for a reading of Scripture and a moment to reflect.
This year, walkers took a different route through neighborhoods, rather than marching down Main Street, McCrickard said.
The route for the walk alternates each year, as the cross rotates from church to church in the community. Next year, the walk will begin at St. John's and end at St. Paul's, McCrickard said.
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