Church members carry cross down McBean to mark Good Friday

Parishioners from Christ Lutheran Church walk through Granary Square in a Good Friday procession of the cross. The procession began at Bridgeport Marketplace, then made its way south on McBean Parkway to the church, where it concluded with a Good Friday service. Cory Rubin/The Signal
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Members of Christ Lutheran Church gathered for a procession with a giant cross down McBean Parkway from Bridgeport Marketplace in observance of Good Friday, ahead of Easter, the Christian holiday.

“We try to find ways to tell this story dramatically,” said Senior Pastor Joe Campeau, referring to the story in the Bible of the crucifixion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. “We feel strongly that the story carries itself, and it’s been called in the past ‘The greatest story ever told.’”

The group started at Bridgeport Marketplace, outside California Pizza Kitchen, and made several stops, one at Zankou Chicken, the next at Corner Bakery’s fountain, then Starbucks in Granary Square, concluding at the church parking lot. The walk opened with a prayer and concluded with Good Friday services at Christ Lutheran.

As they walked, cars honked in support. Following each stop, more and more churchgoers joined the group, which started out with fewer than a dozen people. Once they arrived at the church, the worship included 250 members of the congregation.

“The idea was that we wanted to offer a bit of a quiet, silent witness to the community on Good Friday, which for Christians is an incredibly important day,” Campeau said. “The day that Jesus sacrificed himself for all of humanity on the cross. And so we wanted to commemorate that sacrifice and the love that God shows to not only us but to all the community.”

Lisa Bricker was determined to make the whole walk. She carried the cross, made from pieces of wood, cloth, canvas and paper. She observed carrying the cross as a way to carry on the burdens and sacrifice of Christ.

“Originally, I was all for it and wanted to be able to carry the cross, and was thinking that is a way of understanding and experiencing the burdens Christ has done for us,” Bricker said. “A flip side of that was also heavy to me, because then I realized, ‘My goodness, is the cross that I’m now carrying to crucify my Lord and savior?’”

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