Christians carry cross in downtown Medina in annual pilgrimage on Good Friday
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – Lang Lilley, right, and Dennis Oberther carry a cross across Main Street in Medina just after noon today.
About 40 people participated in the annual “Pilgrimage to Golgotha” in downtown Medina, where local Christians carry the cross.
The group also sings hymns, reads Scriptures and prays at different stops in the downtown. The Medina Area Association of Churches and the Medina Clergy Fellowship organize the annual event.
Lang Lilley, a member of the Medina United Methodist Church at the Grove, carries the cross down Main Street.
It was raining hard at the start of the annual Good Friday walk.
Michael Stephenson, pastor of the First Baptist Church in Medina, shares a welcome message and opening prayer to start the cross walk. The walk began at Medina City Hall and then included stops at Rotary Park, the Canal Basin, Medina Historical Society, Cooper’s Funeral Home, First Baptist Church and First Presbyterian Church.
Dan Thurber, pastor of the Oak Orchard Assembly of God in Medina, reads the Scriptures from John 18: 15-27. The group then read “Beneath the Cross of Jesus.”
Michael Stephenson, pastor of First Baptist Church, takes a turn carrying the cross.
The group which included about 40 people heads down East Center Street towards the Canal Basin.
There will be Good Friday church services today at the Albion Free Methodist Church at 6 p.m. That service is led by Pastors Aligned for Community Transformation (PACT).
The Medina United Methodist Church at the Grove also will host a service at 7:30 p.m.
The Medina Area Association of Churches will lead a sunrise worship service on Easter this Sunday at 6:30 a.m. at Boxwood Cemetery.
