Texas church installs 45-foot cross on property for new prayer park
A Texas church has installed a 45-foot tall cross that weighs around 35,000 pounds as the first step in building a new prayer park.
Katy Community Fellowship, a nondenominational congregation that has around 500 members, held a ceremony on Tuesday for the installation of the large cross.
Attendees for the lifting up of the cross included many church members, members of the community, the builder of the cross John King, and about 35 of his employees.
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Pastor Tim Barker, who helped found Katy Community Fellowship back in 2000, told The Christian Post that the cross was erected as the first phase of an “acre prayer park next to our facility.”
Barker noted that the cross was made from corten steel which is expected to change into a reddish color over time and has 280 nails, according to Barker.
“Each nail was prayed over representing each family in our congregation,” explained Barker. “Some of the inspiration for the cross and park came from artist and architect Max Greiner Jr. in Kerrville, Texas, where monthly thousands tour his ‘Coming King Sculpture Prayer Garden.’”
With the cross in place, the next phase will be the creation of a baptismal at the foot of the cross, as well as an amphitheater. Later, walking trails and plaques will be added.
“Phase three will encompass the walking trails that connect seven points of prayer, including: salvation, healing, family, revival, strongholds, and nations,” added Barker.
“Sixty-six scriptures from the 66 books of the Bible will be on plaques throughout the park. A white rock garden will surround the healing and strongholds points where prayer requests can be written on a rock and then left in the garden for people to pray over.”
Barker told CP that he's hopeful that the park will open by the end of the year, saying that “the cross and the park are to be a beacon of hope and a reminder of God's love for all people.”
The theme for the prayer park is 1 Timothy 2:1-4, which reads: “I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.”
In 2018, construction began in Corpus Christi on what will be the largest cross in North America, which when completed will be around 230 feet tall and about 100 feet wide.
Pastor Rick Milby of Abundant Life Fellowship Church in South Texas is overseeing the project, which is entirely funded by private donations and will be located on property he owns.
“This is a community thing — it's not mine,” Milby told the Caller Times in an interview in April 2019. “There's no ownership — it's your cross.”
