As the ribbon is woven through the cross-shaped, plastic canvas, 76-year-old Alvis Coppage makes another tick on her list of handmade crosses distributed to further the gospel.
At 14,675 crosses and counting, Coppage has been a part of reaching the lost in places such as Mexico, Guatemala, the Philippines, Honduras and Trinidad.
Coppage said she has always enjoyed making crafts, so when she saw a cross that a missionary from China used to witness, she knew that was something she could do as well.
“The first year, when I started making them, I prayed because I didn’t have enough finances to pay for them,” said Coppage, a member of Friendship Baptist Church, Lawley, in Cahaba Baptist Association.
But in a relentless effort to spread God’s message of hope and salvation, she took to another task: crocheting.
“I made doilies and made names [for] people to frame, and I used that to get my money with,” she said. “So I took that money and bought my supplies.”
Coppage also received some financial help from a distant relative whose daughter used the crosses in her work in China.
Coppage said she would hear of people going on overseas trips and offer to send some crosses along with them.
But she didn’t realize the difference the crosses made until she began receiving letters and photos from overseas workers and travelers about salvation stories.
For instance, in Guatemala, missionaries distributed the crosses in schools. Some people even asked for specific colors such as a red cross to represent their life before salvation and a white one to represent it after their salvation experience, Coppage said, noting the crosses are available in all colors.
Since these initial efforts in 2005, Friendship Baptist has offered to partner with her by providing finances and occasional volunteers to help make the crosses.
“We wanted to help do it as a churchwide thing, hoping we could get some of the ladies to get together since we don’t have a Woman’s Missionary Union,” said Pastor Donald Harris. “But it wasn’t just the ladies; it was some of the men doing it, too. It turned out to be a good involvement from quite a few husband-and-wife teams.”
Harris added Coppage’s initiative to do this ministry has made an impact on a lot of people in the community and church.
And the crosses have made an impact on her, too.
“This has just been the greatest blessing to me because I couldn’t go (on missions trips) because I’m older, but it’s a blessing to do just a little bit to help,” she said.
“I just pray they are used the way God wants them used and that people will get a blessing from them.”
Share with others: