3 Crosses on the Highway

Bernard Coffindaffer became a Christian at the age of forty-two.  He eventually became a self-proclaimed Methodist minister and served seven small churches in Pochahontas County, West Virginia.  He was distinguished with an honorary doctorate degree in Florida.

After two heart by-pass operations, he liquidated his business and two years later had a vision.  "A genuine, marvelous, glorious vision," he said, "The Holy Spirit instructed, blessed, dealt with me and told me how to go about installing these Crosses.  It was an experience you have once in a lifetime."  He was told what to do: Get manpower, materials, and plant crosses.  "I worked like a dog for the money, eighteen hours a day for thirty-five years," he said.  "The Holy Spirit knew I had the money and was willing to spend it, and I'm not going to back down."  For the nine final years of his life, he obediently spent approximately $3,000,000 planting the clusters of three Crosses in 29 states, District of Columbia, Zambia and The Philippines.  Site owners donated the land's use for the Crosses and Coffindaffer paid all the bills.  A total of 1864 clusters of crosses were erected.

Coffindaffer started the project on September 28, 1984, stating, "Not for saints or sinners.  For everybody.  They're up for only one sole reason, and that's this: to remind people that Jesus was crucified on a Cross at Calvary for our sins and that He Is soon coming again.  That's what jars, but that's the truth.  When you say, For our sins¹, half the people run.  When you say, "He's coming again", everybody runs."  "And, maybe," he said, "the Crosses will make one person stop and think."

At the height of his work, Coffindaffer had an office in the basement of his home with a full-time secretary, Sharon Clendenin.  He also, had seven full-time work crews across America, erecting these silent witnesses for Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.  The Crosses were all built from California Douglas Fir.  The center Cross was painted gold and the two flanking Crosses were painted a pale blue.  The gold paint on the center Cross represented royalty while the two Crosses' pale blue paint signified the earth.  At the erection of each cluster of Crosses, a solemn

Consecration Service was held.  Scriptures such as Mark 8:34, "if any man will follow me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me" were read.  Prayers for repentance and forgiveness of sins were offered.  At each site, the same identical service was held. Coffindaffer once said, "The Crosses speak peace within as we struggle without."

After Rev. Coffindaffer’s death, Sara Stevenson Abraham answered the Lord's call to continue the Ministry in 1999.  She formed a new non-profit (501-C-3) organization entitled Crosses Across America, Inc.  The National Headquarters of Crosses Across America, is located at Suite C, 3300 Indiana Avenue, Vicksburg, MS 39180.  As Executive Director she is locating the standing clusters of Crosses and getting them straightened, repaired and restored.  Abraham presents the story of the Crosses for churches, civic organizations, television, and radio programs. Ms. Abraham’s ultimate goal is to install crosses every 25 miles along every major highway in America.

No doubt, many of you have seen Bernard’s crosses as you have traveled America’s highways and byways.

By William McDonald, PhD. Excerpt from "Concepts, Teachings, Practicalities & Stories"

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