Cross Archives - Tim Frakes Productions https://frakesproductions.com/tag/cross/ My WordPress Blog Sun, 22 Sep 2013 16:30:01 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 Sanctuary, The Cross is Still Burning https://frakesproductions.com/2013/09/22/sanctuary-the-cross-is-still-burning/ https://frakesproductions.com/2013/09/22/sanctuary-the-cross-is-still-burning/#comments Sun, 22 Sep 2013 16:30:01 +0000 http://www.frakesproductions.com/?p=7319 Follow the journey of a charred KKK cross burned 50 years ago when civil rights activists tried to desegregate churches in Jackson, Mississippi. Today, it stands as a sculpture in First United Methodist Church, Chicago Temple, inspiring people of faith who continue to march in solidarity for racial justice. Featuring: • Rev. Phil Blackwell, First […]

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Follow the journey of a charred KKK cross burned 50 years ago when civil rights activists tried to desegregate churches in Jackson, Mississippi. Today, it stands as a sculpture in First United Methodist Church, Chicago Temple, inspiring people of faith who continue to march in solidarity for racial justice.

Featuring:
• Rev. Phil Blackwell, First United Methodist Church, Chicago Temple
• Tom Armstrong, Freedom Rider
• Ann Keating, Historian North Central College
• Rev. Martin Deppe, Civil Rights Activist
• Rev. Otis Moss III, Trinity United Church of Christ
• Brenda Russell, Chicago Attorney
• Rev. Julian DeShazier, University Church Chicago

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]]> https://frakesproductions.com/2013/09/22/sanctuary-the-cross-is-still-burning/feed/ 1 7319 Honoring MLK, KKK Cross Sculpture at Chicago Temple https://frakesproductions.com/2012/01/16/kkk-cross-chicago-temple/ https://frakesproductions.com/2012/01/16/kkk-cross-chicago-temple/#comments Mon, 16 Jan 2012 13:00:18 +0000 http://www.frakesproductions.com/?p=333 This fall I ran across a sculpture at the First United Methodist Church at the Chicago Temple. This sculpture is based upon a cross that was burned on the lawn of Tougaloo College in Jackson, Mississippi in the autumn of 1963. The students were being encouraged by Ed King, the campus minister to go into the city and to try and desegregate the churches on Sunday morning.

That not only led to the arrests of the students, but also led to the KKK burning a cross on the college lawn. Ed King kept the cross and gave it to the United Methodist Church who were in the process of trying to desegregate the denomination nationally. So, this cross became the symbol for the desegregation of our denomination in 1964 to 1968.

It was taken to Pittsburgh at the general conference and walked around the conference hall and became the rallying point. After all of that, the cross was given to Gerald Forshe, a pastor here in Chicago, who brought it back and took it to Jack Kearney who was a very well regarded sculpture in town.

Kearney took that charred wooden cross, encased it in a kind of skin of metal, so that it wouldnt disintegrate. And then placed on it, the obviously African American, distressed, truncated Christ. And so Jerry has had this sculpture for over 40 years in his own possession.

But when Jerry was very ill last spring he wanted to make sure that this church received it so that it could be put on public display. And so this has been not only a gift to the church but also one that we can make available to people who can come by and know the story and know that it is not only something that referrers back to 1963, but it, but it has a great deal of power today.

We had a guest over the summer who came to worship. He was a retired university administrator from Mississippi. He took a look at this and saw the figure on the cross and immediately said, That is James Cheney. James Cheney was one of the three young men who were murdered when they were trying to register voters in Mississippi in 1963, the only African American among the three. And so at least for that person, he saw in this figure, that historical moment.

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If you are in Chicago’s Loop, stop by the First United Methodist Church at the Chicago Temple and check out a sculpture based upon a cross that was burned on the lawn of Tougaloo College in Jackson, Mississippi in the autumn of 1963. The students were being encouraged by Ed King, the campus minister to go into the city and to try and desegregate the churches on Sunday morning.

That not only led to the arrests of the students, but also led to the KKK burning a cross on the college lawn. Ed King kept the cross and gave it to the United Methodist Church who were in the process of trying to desegregate the denomination nationally. So, this cross became the symbol for the desegregation of the United Methodist Church in the 1960’s.

Eventually, the cross was taken to Pittsburgh at the general conference and walked around the conference hall.  It became a rallying point. Later, the cross was given to Gerald Forshe, a pastor in Chicago, who brought home.  He took it to Jack Kearney who was a very well regarded sculptor in town.

Kearney took that charred wooden cross, encased it in a kind of skin of metal, so that it wouldnt disintegrate. On it, he placed the obviously African American, distressed, truncated Christ. And so Jerry has had this sculpture for over 40 years in his own possession.

But when Jerry was very ill last spring he wanted to make sure that First United Methodist Church at the Chicago Temple received it and put on public display. The cross is a gift to the church that we can make available to people who visit and want to know the story. This cross not only referrers back to 1963, but it, holds a great deal of power for us today.

This summer, First United Methodist Church at the Chicago Temple had a guest who came to worship. He was a retired university administrator from Mississippi. He saw the figure on the cross and immediately said, “That is James Chaney.” James Chaney was one of the three young men who were murdered as they tried to register voters in Mississippi in 1963.  Chaney was the only African American among the three. And so at least for that person, he saw in this figure, that historical moment.

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