Eric Reece
Have you ever traveled on a southern road and saw three mysterious, tall, colored crosses on the side of the highway? The center cross is taller and colored gold and the two on each side are light blue.
I used to see many of these crosses traveling across the southeast. In fact, one set of crosses is visible on Tallulah Road; you can spot the crosses on U.S. Hwy. 129 North, just before Graham County’s North Carolina Department of Transportation office.
The inspiration for these crosses came from the late-businessman-turned-United-Methodist minister, Benard Coffindaffer. The Rev. Coffindaffer was orphaned at a young age. He served in the Marines during World War II and fought at the Battle of Iwo Jima.
After the war – with the GI Bill – he earned a business degree. He started a business in his home state of West Virginia. He worked hard and was very successful in the coal industry.
But his success came with a price. Working long hours took a toll on family life and health. With his marriage broken and in bad health, God called him and he gave his life to Christ. He served as an evangelist and pastor of churches in West Virginia.
Still not in the best of health, he found he needed open heart surgery.
Recovering from heart surgery, he had a vision or dream. The Holy Spirit appeared to him and told him to set three crosses on roadsides in every state, as a witness of God’s gift of salvation.
“The crosses are to remind people to remember that Jesus was crucified on a cross at Calvary for our sins, and He will soon return,” Coffindaffer said.
He sold his business and hired crews and set about setting the crosses. He would contact the property owners and get permission to erect the crosses.
He chose the California Fir tree, for its strength and resilience. The middle cross he painted gold, as a symbol of Christ’s kingship; and the two crosses representing the ones the criminals hung on he painted blue, to represent nature.
Once the crosses were set, he would have a dedication service. I am sure more than once he used the scripture from Luke 23:42-43. Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come in your kingdom.” He replied, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
The first set of crosses he erected in Charleston, W. Va. One set was on an island in a popular lake. Another set was on top of a mountain not accessible by road.
It is estimated he erected over 1,800 sets of crosses in as many 29 states, from Florida to Pennsylvania and as far west as Texas. In addition, crosses were erected in the countries of the Philippines and Zambia.
He died in 1993 and was buried in the Memorial Gardens in his hometown of Nicholas County, W. Va. Across from the cemetery is a set of his crosses.
After his death – with the money from his business depleted – there was no one to continue his mission or care for the crosses.
Many of these crosses have fallen by the wayside and some communities have worked to keep them standing.
My hope is that the crosses still standing remind folks of the love and grace of God.
Eric Reece is the faith columnist for The Graham Star. He is pastor of Robbinsville United Methodist Church and can be reached via email, ereece@wnccumc.net.