Pastor Shane Parrott’s wife Resa wanted to know what possessed him to install a 16-foot wooden cross on the front lawn of their home.
He didn’t know that motivation, but quickly added that he planned to put christmas lights on it.
But it got the attention of a church member who offered to make several more.
The initial distribution of 10 free crosses the church member built as the COVID-19 pandemic ensued, led to church members and volunteers building and giving away nearly 2,700 6-foot crosses within weeks. It continued until the pandemic made unavailable the hundreds of two-by-fours needed for construction.
As the people came, Parrott shared the Gospel with each one, asking whether they had a personal relationship with Jesus. By the end of the 2020 pandemic year, Parrott had baptized 168 people, and church attendance had rebounded by 200 people, almost back to pre-pandemic levels.
Parrot thinks the crosses served as a catalyst to get people in the community into church.
Many who came to get a cross didn’t know what they were looking for. But Parrot says when they showed up, they not only got a cross, they got the Gospel message too.
Heritage Baptist has baptized so many people – about 1200 in the past 12 years – that it wore out the 12-year-old baptistery. The church installed a new one last week.