FROM DR. JAMES TROGLEN
NEWS ELMORE/AUTAUGA
Editor’s Note: Dr. Troglen is a former Wetumpka Baptist pastor.
WETUMPKA — Twenty years ago at Easter, a new pastor brought to Wetumpka First Baptist Church a new Easter tradition — Flower the Cross. It became a tradition of First Baptist Wetumpka and has continued uninterrupted for the past 20 years. Today Pastor Clint Landry.
Flower the Cross has become a highlight for the entire Wetumpka community. The idea is very simple: erect a simple and rough wooden cross representing the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Dark reflection on the days preceding Easter.
On Easter Sunday the congregation is asked to bring cut flowers to church with them and they are placed on the cross until it is covered. The cross then becomes a symbol of Easter and the resurrection. A dead and simple cross suddenly comes alive with beauty and life on Easter morning. It has become a big problem at FBC Wetumpka and church members, along with their families, have their pictures taken in front of the cross. You could say it has become a new tradition at the church.
Families from other local churches often come to the First Baptist Cross to have their picture taken as well. What a joyful way to celebrate the harsh reality of the cross with the beauty of the resurrection.
We wish all our readers a blessed and joyful Easter.
