43
Niles church members make palm crosses for Holy Week
The Vindicator (Youngstown)
Photo
Savanna Cross, 12, of Niles shows a palm cross she made. She is a cast member of “It Is Finished,” a story of the last days of Jesus. Palm crosses will be distributed to members of the audience who attend the drama at First Christian Church in Niles.
The Vindicator (Youngstown)
Photo
Women of First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), 33 N. Arlington Ave. in Niles, take a break from a recent rehearsal of the drama “It Is Finished ” to make palm crosses. The crosses will be distributed at performances scheduled 7 p.m. today, Palm Sunday, and Maundy Thursday.
By LINDA M. LINONIS
NILES
A cross-making project at First Christian Church engages the hearts and hands of members.
They make palm crosses to distribute at two presentations of “It Is Finished,” a dramatization of the last days of Jesus Christ. Members made the crosses as individual efforts at home or at play rehearsal or as part of a group in the church’s Lydia and Anna circles.
Tina Havaich, a church member for some 25 years, said about 300 crosses are needed to distribute at each program. The palm crosses will have tags on them with the proclamation, “He is risen,” and the name of the church.
She said she sees the project as one reflection of faith and a way to share the message of God’s love and Jesus’ sacrifice.
“We all work on it, and it’s awesome,” she said.
Havaich said once the palms are ordered, members who volunteer to make crosses can take palms to accomplish the task. “It’s fun to work on them,” she said, adding that circle members enjoy fellowship as they make crosses.
The church has been making them for about six years. Havaich said it adds another element to the church’s long-running dramatization of Jesus’ Passion. The presentation is in its 37th year.
Havaich said working with the palms requires concentration, ability to follow instructions and some degree of dexterity. “People teach one another,” she said of the method of folding the long palm into a cross.
“You have to pull it tight so that it stays in place,” she explained. If that’s not done, she said, the palm relaxes and doesn’t hold together. “It’s a fun project,” she said.
The Rev. Cynthia Klingemier, pastor, said Holy Week poses a “roller coaster” of emotions. Palm Sunday signifies the triumphant entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem. “It’s emotionally charged ... it’s joyful,” she said.
Then as the week progresses, Christians experience the poignancy of the Last Supper, the pain and desperation of the crucifixion and the joy of the Resurrection.
“One of the hopes is that lives are changed by the message of the cross,” the pastor said.
The Rev. Ms. Klingemier said the “It Is Finished” cast adopts that idea as its theme. The cast, she said, hopes people take the palm crosses home and remember the message of the cross throughout the year.
“If just one life is changed, it is meaningful,” she said. “Then we have done what God needs us to do.”