Episode 67 Show Notes
SHOW NOTES 67
DID YOU EVER WONDER?
How many drivers out there have seen these three crosses along the roadways in your travels across the eastern half of the country and wondered what and why these crosses are standing along the road ways? I myself wondered, and on small state road 301 at Vera Crus Indiana I asked the owner of the farm ground where a set was erected many years ago if he and his wife could tell me the story of how and who put those crosses up. They were more than glad to share the story and give me some literature that was given to them when the crosses were erected. I did some more research on the web and this is what I found people.
Crosses, crosses everywhere! Or so it would seem traveling through West Virginia.
Every few miles, groups of three crosses stand like sentinels along its roadways — a high gold cross flanked by two smaller light blue crosses. Most travelers recognize them as monuments to the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth, a central event in Christianity. But have you ever wondered where these crosses come from? Why they were raised? And who is responsible?
Bernard Coffindaffer, a Marine veteran and a native of Craigsville, West Virginia, was the man behind the crosses. It was his desire to remind people that Jesus had been crucified at Calvary to forgive their sins and that he’d be coming back again.
After leaving the military and earning a business degree from the University of Charleston, Coffindaffer worked in the oil industry. though he made his fortune founding a coal-washing business. After undergoing two heart by-pass operations, he liquidated his business.
Two years later he had a vision that sparked the building of the groups of crosses and spent the remainder of his life and money erecting 1,864 sets in 29 states, in the District of Columbia, and in Zambia and the Philippines. Land owners donated the sites, and Coffindaffer funded the construction. West Virginia was home to 352 sets of crosses — more than any other state. Most are visible from major highways, though some are tucked away in remote locations. He established the first set outside his hometown in Nicholas County.
All the crosses are made of Douglas Fir and weigh 400 pounds. At the height of his ministry, nine full-time employees were helping erect the crosses. His non-profit organization, “Crosses of Mercy – Cast Thy Bread Inc.,” was run from the basement of his home.
According to Sara Stevenson Abraham, co-founder and executive director of Crosses Across America Inc., the non-profit organization perpetuating his mission, Coffindaffer never took a penny from anyone to construct and erect the crosses. He spent more than $3,000,000, and raised the last group in Ozark, Alabama, in September 1993. Less than a month later, on October 6, 1993, he suffered a fatal heart attack at home.
Crosses Across America, headquartered in Vicksburg, Mississippi, was established in 1999 to locate and restore the crosses, Coffindaffer left no trust for their upkeep. The organization hopes to plant clusters of crosses every 50 miles along both sides of the 45,000 miles of interstate and highways in the United States, proceed to four-lane highways, and then move into Mexico and Canada. The new crosses are of a lighter, plastic material that can withstand 200 mph winds.
Well that’s the story people. If you’re interested at all google CROSSES OF MERCY. That will get you to this man’s amazing story and journey.
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Time to watch for school bus back on roads again!!
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School bus driver faces 60 charges, including impaired commercial vehicle driving, child endangerment
From: CDL Life
Published:September 5, 2024 ByAshley
North Carolina police issued dozens of charges to a school bus driver believed to have been operating while impaired.School bus driver Lauren Coble, 45, has been charged with 53 counts of misdemeanor child endangerment as well as seven traffic charges, including Impaired Driving in a Commercial Vehicle, according to a September 5 announcement from city officials in Creedmoor, North Carolina.On August 29, 2024, members of the Granville County Public School Administration Office contacted the Creedmoor Police Department regarding a school bus being operated erratically during its morning route.
The subsequent investigation led to Coble’s arrest.
Local outlet WXII2 reports Coble was also watching videos on a cell phone while driving the bus. Our department fully supports the administration of Granville County Public Schools and their commitment to ensuring the safety of our students and staff,” stated Creedmoor Police Chief Troy Wheless. “We will work closely with the District Attorney’s Office to ensure that anyone who puts the safety and security of our students, staff, and members of the public at any of our schools at risk are held accountable for their actions.”
