Marketplace
![[SeMissourian.com]](http://www.semissourian.com/images/nameplate.gif)
|
|
Fair ~ River stage: 33.35 Rising Friday, November 20, 2009 |
 Print
 Email link
 Respond to editor
 Read comments (2)
 Share link
Bald Knob Cross of PeaceWednesday, June 24, 2009From many an elevated spot in Southeast Missouri or Southern Illinois, you can see the Bald Knob Cross of Peace on the highest hilltop in Illinois near Alto Pass. The 110-foot cross with its gleaming white porcelain-on-steel panels has provided a commanding view since it was completed in 1963. Now in need of repairs, a not-for-profit organization called Friends of the Cross is raising $300,000. Earlier this month the group held a fundraising five-mile walk from the cross on Bald Knob to Alto Pass, adding $11,000 for repairs and bringing the total raised to well over half the goal. Bald Knob has been the site of Easter sunrise services since 1936, and it is a popular destination for visitors to the Shawnee National Forest and Southern Illinois wineries and orchards. Friends of the Cross now hope to complete the fundraising effort by soliciting donations from businesses. E.T. Simonds Construction of Carbondale, Ill., has pledged to match business donations of up to $50,000. The Rev. Bill Vandergraph, pastor of the Full Gospel Pentecostal Church in Alto Pass, is founder of the fundraising organization. Anyone who is interested in helping with the Bald Knob Cross of Peace restoration project is encouraged to contribute. Anyone who hasn't visited the cross would likely find the trip both interesting and inspirational. To get there, take Highway 127 north toward Alto Pass and watch for the signs. Comments  Note: The nature of the Internet makes it impractical for our staff to review every comment. If you feel that a comment is offensive, please Login or Create an account first, and then you will be able to flag a comment as objectionable. Please also note that those who post comments on semissourian.com may do so using a screen name, which may or may not reflect a website user's actual name. Readers should be careful not to assign comments to real people who may have names similar to screen names. Refrain from obscenity in your comments, and to keep discussions civil, don't say anything in a way your grandmother would be ashamed to read.
|
Enter your email address to subscribe to our mailing lists:
|
del.icio.us
Digg
StumbleUpon
Technorati
Newsvine
Facebook
Furl
Reddit
Google
What a total waste of money.
$300,000 that could go to helping people in need instead will be spent on a giant Jesus Idol.
That WOULD be the practical thing to do with the money for sure, but you must understand something FriendO. The people who built that cross are trying to honor the Lord God and his son Jesus Christ, because without them, none of us would even be here. THAT to a believer is just as important as the food we put in our bodies and it helps reinforce the hope that the world will be a much better place some day.