cross At the foot of the

By Wes Tomlinson

On a hill far away stOOd an Old rugged CrOss, the emblem Of suffering and shame; and i lOve that Old CrOss where the dearest and best fOr a wOrld Of lOst sinners was slain - George Bennard, 1913

Pastor Johnny Maxwell of Nature’s Trail Church in Priceville has been dreaming of that cross for almost two decades, but this year, he decided it was time to make it real.

A Picture Of Hope

About 17 years ago while Maxwell was preparing a Sunday sermon, he experienced an awakening that would transform his life from that point onward.

board to facilitate the cross’s construction. Board member Craig Baker, also a member of St. Paul’s, said sometimes an encouraging symbol is all it takes for a person to begin seeking Jesus Christ.

“I’m hoping this cross serves as a picture of hope for people,” Baker said. “I think it’s going to be a strong symbol for people to reach out to Christ because Christ is reaching out to them.”

The cross is a lot like the one seen on Interstate 65 in Jefferson County near Gardendale Baptist Church. It was there at Gardendale that Maxwell learned how impactful seeing a cross like that can be to someone’s life.

“About a year ago, I was preaching at a funeral and this guy gave me a $300 donation to go towards the cross,” Maxwell said. “I don’t remember talking to him about the cross, but that was like confirmation from the Lord because someone out of the blue wanted to donate that money towards the cross.”

“I had this vision of a giant cross here in the mountains off the highway,” Maxwell said.

Two years ago, Maxwell contacted his friend Tommy Livingston of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Decatur about his idea for the cross. Without hesitation, Livingston donated two acres he owns beside Libby’s Catfish & Dinner on Alabama 67 for the cross’s build site.

The two then formed a five-member

“I knew a couple who was going through a divorce, they had papers ready to sign and were literally at that point in the divorce,” Maxwell said. “They were on the way to Birmingham and drove by the cross in Gardendale and both of them went off to the side of the road and cried and rededicated their lives to God and pulled their family together at the foot of that cross.”

Livingston said the cross was important for people to see, especially those who may not have a church family.

“There are thousands of people that drive on Interstate 65 every day,” Livingston said. “Not everybody goes to church on Sunday mornings but they’ll see that cross when they go to work on Monday mornings.”

Construction on the cross began on April 11 and was completed nine days later. This larger-than-life structure can be seen from I-65 in Morgan County, and even as far away as Limestone County stations built around the cross. “Just like the 12 tribes of Judah,” Maxwell said. osk will provide an answer.

Prayer Stations

The cross stands dominant on Priceville Mountain, its giant steel beams reflecting the sun’s rays and giving motorists a sense of peace and the reminder of a risen savior. However, Maxwell and his team are not finished yet.

The next phase of The Cross of North Alabama will feature 12 virtual prayer

The board agreed that prayer was essential to life, but board member Eddie Turrentine of Danville Baptist Church said now was the time to “put some feet to those prayers.”

“I know what the impact can be and with the prayer stations, we can reach people more,” Turrentine said.

Each kiosk, or prayer station, will have a screen individuals will interact with based on their different needs. No matter what they may be going through, the ki-

“They can go in there and press a button and hear scripture that relates to what they are going through,” Maxwell said. “If that’s not enough, if you feel like you need it, you can hit a button and you’ll have a pastor online with you in 60 seconds.”

New Homes

The board said the final phase of the project was influenced by the overturning of the Supreme Court Case Roe V. Wade, which paved the way for states previously banning abortion to enforce that legislation through the federal courts.

“When the Roe V. Wade reversal was handed down, it’s up to us as Christians to do what we have to do,” Turrentine said. “We had a guy reach out to us (in October) who said he was thinking about building homes for unwed mothers. He asked us if we were interested.”

The board jumped at the idea and say they plan to build the homes on the 22 acres that Maxwell’s church sits on. Turrentine said the caller in October offered to pay for the homes’ construction.

Maxwell and his team are relying on donations from the community and elsewhere to finance the first two phases, which is $300,000 for the cross and an additional $300,000 for the prayer stations.

Donations can be made at www.thecrossofnorthalabama.com.

“When we give something to the Lord, if it’s not from the heart it’s not worship,” Maxwell said.

to our 2023 Washington Youth Tour delegates!

They are: Kensley Bowling of East Lawrence High School, Sarah Chambers of Priceville High School, Gracie Echols of Brewer High School, Ashlyn Jones of Decatur Heritage Christian Academy, and Olivia Peluso of West Morgan High School.

We are pleased to have these five represent Joe Wheeler EMC as they travel to Washington D.C. this month where they will join more than 1,500 other students from all over the nation to learn about electric cooperatives, meet with congressional representatives and take part in leadership building programs, all of this while touring our nation’s capital and learning first-hand about the history of our country.

The Joe Wheeler EMC board of directors, joined by the entire JWEMC family, are proud to offer this great opportunity to these five outstanding young women as they embark on the trip of a lifetime. Do us proud!