On this Good Friday, two of Menlo’s unique crosses

It was Christmas 2009 when Bethany Lutheran Church, located at the corner of Avy and Cloud Ave. in Menlo Park, added hundreds of lights to its 40-foot cross, turning them on during major Christian holidays. They went on for their spring showing last night and will remain on throughout the season of Easter.

The church also has a brand new cross inside its sanctuary. “It’s part of a larger effort to refresh the inside of the sanctuary which was built 53 years ago.,” explains Pastor Jon Coyne.  “The cross was constructed by John Edwards, the son of a long time Bethany family, who attended Bethany for many years. It is made from recovered barn wood in Idaho. The barn was raised in the 1880’s and the wood was recovered for furniture and art. John works for Misty Mountain Furniture in Idaho and makes many more items out of recovered wood.

“The cross itself is built to the size used at the time of Jesus where the cross beam would be half the size of the length. The length is 11 feet and the cross beam is five and one half feet. The cross is hollowed out about two inches in the back allowing for LED lighting which creates the back lighting on the Serpentine rock. It cross weighs over 200 pounds and it anchored into the rock wall.”

While the wood shows off best when the sanctuary is lit, Pastor Jon turned off the lights to provide his visitors with a more atmospheric look.

Photos by Gillian Bostock.