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The sight of the cross is a familiar one to churchgoing Grand Island residents and even to many of those who have never set foot inside a sanctuary.
Still, Ed Medbery of Grand Island and his fellow cross carriers were hoping to turn a few heads on Friday afternoon.
"The crosses at church are like pews people take them for granted, like a piece of furniture," Medbery said. "But when you see someone carrying a cross through town, you think, 'Wow, that cross is really significant.'"
Medbery was one of about 10 people who joined in carrying a large, wooden cross across Grand Island a 15-year annual tradition intended to draw attention to Jesus' death on Good Friday, the holiday that honors it.
Before beginning on the 5.2-mile trek to Ashley Park, the group held hands in a small circle in the parking lot of Fiesta Latina and prayed for the people driving by who would see them.
J.R. Hughes of Lebanon, Kan., said he hoped the sight of the cross would trigger spiritual understanding among passersby of the sacrifice it represents.
"Hopefully, someone will see the cross being carried and not look at us but remember who carried the cross," Hughes said.
The walk would take about two hours, as one person at a time would carry the cross supported by a wheel on the cross's base as the others followed, silently praying or reflecting.
The walkers would be heading into a brisk north wind for much of Friday's trip, but they weren't fazed.
"We've walked in rain before," one said.
"Jesus didn't say it'd be easy," another added.
Galen Keas, who's been doing the walk each Good Friday since its inception in Grand Island 15 years ago, organized this year's walk.
He's a member of St. Pauls Lutheran Church, but the event involves people across denominational lines Medbery attends the Grand Island Evangelical Free Church, and Hughes knows Keas through No Greater Love Ministries, an evangelistic men's group.
"It's all about Christ," Medbery said. "It doesn't matter where you go to church. There's only one God."
Keas said that, although his purpose was primarily evangelistic, the act of carrying a cross like Jesus did added personal spiritual meaning to Good Friday, too.
"It's pretty heavy," he said. "You start carrying the cross and you kind of feel that weight that he took on. You kind of feel the weight of what he did for your salvation."
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