Welcome to the new LocalWiki region for Edmond, Oklahoma: Giant Cross!

Giant Cross

This cross was dedicated in 1998. It is located at the intersection of I-35 and 2nd St. You'll crest a hill to see a massive white cross looming over the highway. It's in the parking lot of the main campus of a large regional church. It's the biggest cross in town, but it wouldn't last long in a fight with Groom's enormous cross a few hours down the highway to the west. It stands 138.5 feet tall, which makes it one tall cross and hard to miss if you look south when crossing I-35 as you enter Edmond from the east. The church was built in 1982 as home to MetroChurch which merged with LifeChurch in 2001. This is one of at least two giant crosses on Route 66. The other is in Groom TX.

[Brendan R., 03/19/2011]

[Route 66 Times]

This giant cross was built in 1996 by Metro Church. Some locals loved the idea, some were very much against it. It is a beautiful white cross that absolutely cannot be missed by anyone driving on the freeway. Metro Church merged with Life Church, so now this is referred to as the Life Church Cross.

The Giant Cross is visible from the interstate; there's a colossal cross on the property of the "LifeChurch" Edmond campus. LifeChurch is a sort of franchised Christian community, with multiple church locations sharing high-tech video via satellites.

This religious monument isn't as big as the ones in Groom, TX or Effingham, IL, but once we were in its crosshairs we had to pull over.

Price of Admission: Free!

Giant Cross Location: 4600 East 2nd St., Edmond, Oklahoma

                                          N 35° 38.975 W 097° 25.393

                                          14S E 642743 N 3946227

 

Giant Concrete Cross

A structural engineer who worked on this massive build takes a little more of what the cross is made of… “I am the structural engineer who designed this cross. Unlike other giant crosses in Groom, Texas, and Effingham, Illinois, this cross is not metal skin on a space frame. It is made of eight-inch-thick prestressed high strength concrete, 138.5 feet high and 10 feet wide across the diagonals”(James Hoffman, 06/18/2018)

[RoadsideAmerica.com Team, 01/01/2007]

History of what the Cross Symbol stands for:

[..]the cross had deep meaning. They understood Christ’s death on the cross to be “completed” by God’s raising him from the dead three days later. This Resurrection was a sign of Christ’s “victory” over sin and death. 

Believers could share in this victory by being baptized, forgiven of past sin and “reborn” into a new life in the Christian community, the church. Christians, then, frequently referred to Christ's cross both as the “wood of life” and as a “victorious Cross.”

[Joanne M. Peirce, College of the Holy Cross]

Who is Jesus?

Jesus was born to the virgin Mary in a small village in a remote corner of the world. That humble birth fulfilled the hopes and dreams of all of us. He was the Son of God with infinite knowledge and power, yet He was also mortal and susceptible to hunger and pain. Jesus Christ fully experienced the challenges and sorrows of this life. He knows each of us and understands us perfectly.

Throughout His life, many were angry with Jesus because He condemned hypocrisy. He taught unfamiliar truths and showed compassion to sinners. He demonstrated incredible power, and some civic and church leaders felt threatened by His influence.

The night before He was killed, Jesus retreated to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. There, He felt the weight of every sin and pain known to humankind and suffered for every person who has ever lived. Afterward, Jesus was betrayed, arrested, mocked, beaten, and crucified on the cross—all of which He allowed in order to fulfill God’s will. “I lay down my life,” the Lord said, “that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down on myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again” (John 10:17–18). Even as Jesus was being killed by His own people, He cried out that God might have mercy on them.

Three days after His death, Jesus rose from the tomb and appeared to His friends and followers. Because Jesus lives again, we too will be resurrected one day. He broke the bands of death when he arose from the tomb that first Easter morning. Because of His sacrifice and resurrection, we can meet our daily challenges with faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We can know that there are no lost causes, there are no endings, and none of us are beyond His perfect love and infinite power to save.

Experience:

My personal experience when visiting the Giant Cross was truly incredible. This monument and tribute to the faith is truly art and it was executed perfectly. What the websites ontop tell you is not the whole information. Yes, there is a humongous cross right off the freeway but when you get off to see it up close, there are statues surrounding the Giant Cross. As you approach the monument, you could see that these statues are of Jesus Christ. There are multiple statues of Jesus but they are all of different times/segments. Each statue shows Jesus carrying the cross from beginning to end. It is truly heartbreaking to see a visual representation but it was beautiful at the same time. These statues of Jesus Christ were very detailed and each convey emotion with so much detail. There was 1 statue that broke me because it was Jesus dropping the cross crawling on the floor while next to him was a roman soldier whipping his back. As a person raised in the faith, it was heartbreaking to see Jesus struggling and being whipped. These statues are at the center of the Giant cross but if you walk past the Giant Cross, there are a couple of different statues there. There is a statue that has the 10 commandments fully written, another statue of a gravestone honoring the lost young souls, another of the arc angel Gabriel slaying a demon, and lastly of Jesus eating at the table with His 12 disciples. Each statue has its own plaque that explains what is happening so if you are unaware, it is totally fine. And PAST those statues, there is a small building that holds a store with many many things. In this store, there is something for everyone and for all ages. There are books of the faith with different topics, different versions of the Bible, and so much more. What I loved about this store is that they had different things for different beliefs, the one that stood out to me were Cathlic materials and different Christian denomination materials. The store is not the main attraction of this experience but it provides a bit of guidance for those who are in search for more. There is no official website for the Giant Cross but from what it seems like, you should be able to visit at any time of day except for the store at the end. The store time varies but it is typically open from 7am-6pm.

 

 

There is no official website for the Giant Cross but from what it seems like, you should be able to visit at any time of day except for the store at the end. The store time varies but it is typically open from 7am-6pm.

 

 

 

 

Citations: 

https://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/14373

 

http://route66times.com/l/ok/edmond-giant-cross.htm

 

https://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM9GYG_Giant_Cross_Edmond_OK

 

https://theconversation.com/the-history-of-the-cross-and-its-many-meanings-over-the-centuries-123316

 

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/believe/jesus/life-and-mission-of-jesus-christ