On Good Friday, New Kensington Arnold Clergy procession recounts Christ's suffering
When two young boys found nearly two dozen people in front of the Calvary Lutheran Church at noon on Friday, lined behind a man bearing a large wooden cross, one of them asked a reasonable question.
"What are you guys doing?" he said, confusion evident on his face.
"We having cross walk, for Jesus," replied Major Elvie Carter, of the Salvation Army, as the procession began marching. "Would you like to join us?"
The boys declined. Undeterred, the line of worshippers wound their way from Calvary Lutheran to Arnold Methodist, following silently behind the wooden cross borne by Albert Johnson, of New Kensington.
From there the group would walk a mile to the First United Methodist Church, then across the railroad tracks to New Kensington's war memorial at Ninth and Constitution.
After 1.6-miles — their numbers nearly swollen by half — the worshippers stopped at the Salvation Army Worship & Service Center on Fifth Avenue.
Each stop was marked with small ceremony, as members of the New Kensington Arnold Clergy Association explained the importance of the Good Friday holiday to those of the Christian faith.
Rev. Marsha Adams, clergy association leader, said the procession is meant to be a symbolic reminder of the day Jesus Christ is said to have carried the cross upon which he was later crucified.
At the final stop, each member of the procession hammered a nail into the cross, symbolizing the nails used to suspend their savior during his sacrifice.
The wooden cross, fully 5 feet tall and 3 feet wide, was covered top to bottom with the hollow holes hammered there by previous processions.
"It's an emotional and poignant reminder of what Jesus did for us," Adams said.
Adams couldn't say how many years the clergy association has held the cross walk, but she said the idea came about when a pastor did the same thing in London.
"It's a great way to celebrate the blessings of Christ," she said.
Adams said the cross isn't heavy, weighing no more than 20 pounds, and that help was available if Albert couldn't make the whole journey.
Albert did make the entire journey though, carrying the cross in front of him, arms outstretched, like a beacon to those who followed behind.
Mark Resetar, of Arnold and one of the walkers, said he was following the cross as a way of demonstrating his beliefs.
"It's an acknowledgment of the finished work of Christ and without that we have no hope," he said. "That's what it means to me."
Pastor Sharon Waltenbaugh, of the First United Methodist Church, spoke of the importance of carrying the symbolic cross through the neighborhood.
"It's to remember the walk that Christ took on our behalf, and to be a witness to our faith," she said. "It reminds us of the need to carry the cross of faith through the community."
Matthew Medsger is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 724-226-4675, mmedsger@tribweb.com, or on Twitter @matthew_medsger.
