Should you find yourself traveling from Dothan to Montgomery, or vice versa, incorporate a little extra time on the journey to pull off at 828 US-231 North in Troy.
What in the world for, you might ask?
Because it’s a significant destination to make a concentrated effort to stop and pray — at the cross. Taking the time will impact lives and make an eternal investment in others.
The cross represents an invitation to meet the Savior of the world, to hear the good news of Jesus, to repent and believe, worship Him and offer up praise and lay down burdens. Every person comes with a different need, but the greatest need humanity has is to repent of their sin and place their faith in Jesus. What He did on the cross at Calvary and His resurrection provide a way for sinful men to come before a holy and righteous God. Jesus is our Redeemer!
Constructing a cross
A few months ago, Malone Chandler, bivocational pastor of Riverview Baptist Church in Troy, invited Terry Long, spiritual renewal and evangelism specialist with the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions, to share the concept of his book, “100 Days at the Cross: One Man’s Journey to Understanding the Power of the Cross of Christ.”
The church family decided to go through the book together. A cross was built and set in the ground; stationed around it are two concrete benches providing a place to sit or even kneel. There is a weatherproof box for prayer requests.
Riverview Baptist began the initiative Sept. 26 and will finish Jan. 3.
The church publicized its efforts on Facebook in October.
“Look for the signs and cross. All welcome! Come pray for each other. Our community, our country. … Pray for the lost … for the sick … the addicts … the inmates … the broken … for restoration. Pray that God can use you to be a light for Him! We all need prayer.”
Chandler has been amazed to see and hear about the number of people who take the time to pull off the busy highway and come to the cross. People stop simply to pray; others pray and put requests in the box, which are then reviewed by the pastor, and members pray over them.
Riverview Baptist is looking into the possibility of adding another box to the area, which will have gospel tracts and an invitation to attend church. And though the effort comes to an end soon, the congregation plans to keep the cross up so people can continue to stop and pray.
God’s idea
Long has been encouraging churches to erect crosses and promote prayer efforts around the cross for quite some time. In 2012, Long put up an 11-foot wooden cross at the intersection of Highway 63 and 613 along the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
At the time, he was serving at Lilly Orchard Baptist Church in Escatawpa, Mississippi. God began to stir in his heart about putting up a wooden cross. Additionally, God led him to pray every day for 100 days at that cross, fast and have his salary suspended during that time frame.
He pulled out a folding chair, placed it before the cross and began his commitment. On the tenth day, five men from the church came to him, wanting to be part of the endeavor. They didn’t want to miss the opportunity or blessing. They also had the church restore his salary.
And thus the journey began. Long began to journal the experiences he encountered or heard from others about people who came to the cross. Their stories were about God’s redeeming grace; lives drastically changed because of the gospel and prayer.
Fast forward almost 10 years. Long has served as associational missions director for Choctaw Baptist Association since 2015 and works part time with SBOM. He has shared his prayer and revival journey in churches across the state. And he still hears lots of stories from those whose lives are changed by the cross.
Starting in Butler, Alabama, the number of crosses has grown.
Vision for the future
Overall, Long said 10-12 crosses have been erected since November 2020. Currently, several churches, including Eden Westside Baptist in Pell City, are in the process of erecting a cross.
When asked about his vision for the future Long said, “I would love to see a cross go up in every association in Alabama. Danny Dean, associational missions director for Butler [County Baptist] Association, led them to put one up last year, and he is making plans for two more in 2022.
“These crosses are impacting lives for sure, but their power is only in the fact that they are visual representations of the one Cross upon which the Savior of the world died!”
Long recently published a second book, “When the Fire Falls: Ten Characteristics of Genuine Revival.”
For more about participating in 100 Days at the Cross, contact Long at 205-245-4286 or tlong@alsbom.org.
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