As Larry Childers, a deacon at Lakewood Baptist Church, Huntsville, would encounter U.S. servicemen and women, he would hand that man or woman a small, metal pocket-sized cross with the word “Freedom” inscribed on it and thank them for their service.
The gesture of handing out these small crosses would eventually spur Childers to implement a much broader ministry idea — pass out small, wooden pocket crosses to everyone.
His ministry, known as Little Wooden Cross Ministry, began in early 2012. “I just wanted to use it as a witness tool,” he said, adding the opportunity to pass a pocket cross on to someone “opens the door for invitation.”
Childers purchases the wooden crosses in bulk and even sometimes makes larger desktop crosses to distribute. To date, he has passed out a staggering number of crosses — 39,000 to be exact — but he said he is just getting started.
“Larry is fearless in approaching people to share a cross and his dynamic testimony of the day he ‘sold out’ for our Lord,” said Terrell Boyd, pastor of Lakewood Baptist. “Larry lifts up Jesus Christ by offering his little wooden crosses to anybody he meets. He has a vision and desire to see a cross in every hand in Madison County and beyond, all for the glory of his Lord and Savior — and he’s well on the way to seeing that vision fulfilled.”
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