Nineteen white crosses are grouped together on the west lawn of University Heights Baptist Church facing National. Each has a name and age of someone from Greene and Christian Counties who’s died in a gun-related homicide in the past year.
Two members of University Heights Baptist pounded the crosses into the ground Thursday morning. The display will stay up until December 21 – the day the church will host “The Longest Night: A Service of Remembrance” at 6 p.m. in the chapel.
Nolan Porter, senior pastor of UHB, said they’ll read the names of those on the crosses aloud, offer a chance for family members to stand up, and they’ll say nine or 10 different prayers for the city, “for peace, respect for life, for first responders, for peace and comfort, several different things, a short message, some worship as well. But mostly it’s just about providing a space and a time for comfort for those that have died over the last year.”…