Crosses - Hurricane Harvey

Hurricane Harvey devastated Houston with severe flooding at the end of August; it also flooded many homes in Beaumont and to the east in Orange and Vidor and into southwest Louisiana.  Alexandria has a mega shelter at the LSUA AgCenter which housed about 2000 residents, mostly from Orange and Vidor.

As the week unfolded and I learned that so many unfortunate guests would be arriving, I decided to make some crosses.  Usually it takes me quite awhile to make a "batch" of crosses, but I eliminated some time consuming steps at the end of the process - staining and two coats of polyurethane with fine sanding in between coats.  I figured that the raw wood crosses, in this case heart pine (from the heart) would be very meaningful to those whose homes had flooded and lost so many possessions.   So after assembling and sanding smooth the surfaces, and then carving all of the corners, I had 96 beautiful crosses to share with those who were displaced.

On a sunny Saturday afternoon, I took the crosses to the mega shelter and shared them.  The responses were very moving - tears, smiles, "thank you"s, hugs, and beyond.  The Harvey crosses were a simple gift that I could share; the responses I received I will never forget.  May God be with all who were impacted as they rebuild their homes and lives.

A Cross for a new church in Mobile

In April I received an email about a post from March of 2013 named "Made a Processional Cross".  It was from a young man, Christopher, who is part of a small Anglican church plant of Church of the Apostles in downtown Mobile, Alabama.  They needed a processional cross, so I agreed to make one for them.  What a joy to be asked!  I made it from mesquite as I did in 2013 in the same basic style. 

Finished - in our backyard

You may follow the progression from slab to finished cross in Mobile at this link.  Most of the crosses I make are 2 or 3 inches tall, and I now have made and given away almost 1800.  I feel very fortunate to have this calling.

the slab of mesquite

Rev. Blake Johnson and Christopher Brinson