Students carry cross on campus, ‘the crosswalk is a way for us to become public with our faith’
Patrick Hogge, left, a senior studying aviation technology from Taylorville, carries the cross along with members of the Baptist Collegiate Ministry to the Morris Library on Tuesday, March 27, 2018, during their annual crosswalk event leading up to Easter Sunday. “Through Jesus we have been given a great gift, something that we could never attain on our own,” Hogge said. “It’s not something that runs out, it’s not something we have a limited quantity of so we just want to share it with as many people as we can.” (Cameron Hupp | @CHupp04)
March 28, 2018
Impact student ministries, a registered student organization will be holding their third annual crosswalk every day this week from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on the lawn of Morris Library in recognition of Good Friday.
Good Friday is the Friday before Easter Sunday representing the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and is recognized by the Christian Church.
The walk begins at the Baptist Collegiate Ministries at 9 a.m. with the group carrying a wooden cross across campus stopping on the lawn of Morris Library as they pass out gospel tracts and preach messages from the Bible.
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A Gospel tract is a pamphlet that contains a Christian message about salvation.
Sean Morecraft, the marketing and scheduling officer of Impact said, “I love the crosswalk at SIU because I love the cross and what it stands for.”
“The crosswalk is a way for us to become public with our faith and get students to think about the real meaning of Easter,” the president of Impact student ministries, Brandon Mcneely said when asked why the Crosswalk was important.
Impact Ministries is a Christian faith-based RSO that started March 2017. The purpose of the RSO is to the spread the beliefs and principles of Christianity.
The RSO is open to all students, McNeely said.
“If any student is interested in our ministry they are certainly welcome to join,” McNeely said.
The RSO also holds a weekly Bible study Wednesday nights at 7:30 in the Baptist collegiate ministries building and small discussion groups on east and west campus Tuesday nights.
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“As Christians here on campus the crosswalk is a sign of who we are and what we believe in,” Impact small group leader, Dalton Sharrow said.
Sharrow said he hopes the message of the walk reaches those who haven’t heard the gospel before and impacts their lives in a good way.
Since becoming an official RSO in March 2017 Impact has been active in the campus community, sharing the gospel with students at every event they hold.
For this year’s crosswalk, Impact invited various Christian faith-based RSO’s to join them on Morris Library’s lawn.
“This isn’t an Impact outreach event, but a Christian outreach event,” McNeely said. “We’ll be partnering with other campus ministries. In the Bible, Jesus said ‘unbelievers will know I was sent to die for their sins through the unity among Christians’.”
In addition to holding events on campus Impact partners with Lakeland Baptist Church where some of the Impact members are leaders of the church.
Morecraft said the heart of the Impact ministries is to show the love of Christ to those who aren’t familiar with the Christian gospel.
On April 1, Impact student ministries will partner with Chi Alpha, a Christian based sorority at SIU and Lakeland Baptist Church for Easter service in the SIU ballroom D.
The service will begin at 10:30 a.m., free of charge and open to all students and community members.
Staff writer Farrah Blaydes can be reached at fblaydes@dailyegyptian.com.
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