CROSSWALK AMERICA REACHES MID-POINT, WELCOMED BY SUPPORTERS IN AMERICA’S HEARTLAND
St. Louis Supporters Walk with Group; Handful of Detractors Protest, Heckle Call for Humility and Compassion at Local Churches
Friday, July 21, 2006
ST. LOUIS – As the walkers of CrossWalk America make their way across the United States one mile at a time, their message is resonating with Christians – both those who agree with their message of hope and love, and those who take a more “fundamentalist� view of Christianity.
Throughout the journey, CrossWalkers have been greeted by hundreds of people representing different approaches to Christianity. Most recently, in St. Louis, members of Holy Trinity Community Church in Memphis, TN drove 250 miles to walk with the CrossWalk group in a show of solidarity.
Conversely, a handful of people from Crossroads, Inc., a fundamentalist group that does not share CrossWalk’s more progressive views on the Christian faith, met the CrossWalkers in St. Louis armed with anti-abortion and anti-gay signs and shirts. In opposition to Crosswalk’s call for humility and compassion, the detractors gathered outside two churches where CrossWalk clergy had been invited to preach; Christ Church (Episcopal) with Rev. Elnes and Metropolitan Community Church of St. Louis with Rev. Brad Wishon. The group attempted to interrupt services by heckling the pastors. (View pictures from the services and the protests and read CrossWalkers’ blog posts about the encounters here: http://blog.crosswalkamerica.org/2006/07/10/walkers-encounter-supporters-protesters-in-st-louis-area/.)
“While we obviously disagreed with their messages, I’m proud the detractors were treated with love and respect by both CrossWalkers and the churches,� Elnes said. “We greeted them and invited them to come inside for worship. We shook hands and tried to engage them in conversation. We offered them water and many in the group joined hands with us in singing “Jesus Loves Me� at the top of our lungs!�
CrossWalkers tried to engage the Crossroads members in dialogue, hoping to find some common ground. They were largely unsuccessful, but some members of both groups did exchange information and agreed to try to talk again – perhaps finding areas of agreement rather than conflict.
“Both kinds of engagement we had during that weekend in St. Louis demonstrate the vital importance of the message we are walking to spread of tolerance, compassion and inclusion,� said Rev. Elnes. “We may not agree about all the issues facing Christianity, but by engaging in dialogue about our differences and working to find common ground, we believe we can help set our faith on the right path in the coming years.�
On the final half of the 2,500 mile trek, CrossWalkers will travel through Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Maryland on their way to their final destination in Washington, DC on Labor Day, September 4th. Since stepping off in Phoenix on Easter Sunday, April 16, the CrossWalkers have walked across Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansa and Missouri. The group walks 27 miles a day in two 4 1/2-hour shifts, split by a 15-minute intermission for prayer.
The purpose of the CrossWalk venture is to walk as Jesus did during his three years of ministry, promoting the three great loves of the Bible – love of God, love of neighbor and love of self. Those loves are reflected in CrossWalk America’s guiding tenets, known as The Phoenix Affirmations: A New Vision for the Future of Christianity, which are articulated in a book of the same name by one of CrossWalk’s founders and co-presidents, Rev. Eric Elnes of Scottsdale, Ariz.
CrossWalk America is committed to offering a different voice for Christianity in America, a compassionate, inclusive witness of the Three Great Loves Jesus proclaimed as the cornerstone of Christian faith. For more information about CrossWalk America and to see the entire route to be walked, log onto www.crosswalkamerica.org.
CONTACT: Jay Taylor at (602) 390-2021; Jay@SummitPublicRelations.com
