Church members take turns carrying cross across Beaufort. ‘I can’t imagine him doing it’

Karl Puckett
·2 min read
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It’s not every day you see people lugging a 200-pound cross down Beaufort’s Bay Street, but it happened Friday — Good Friday.

For more than two decades, members of Carteret Street United Methodist Church have been hoisting a wooden cross and carrying it 2 miles through the city, from the intersection of Ribaut Road and Bay Street to the church on Carteret Street.

The spectacle before Easter Sunday commemorates the death of Jesus Christ, who carried a cross to his own crucifixion on Good Friday, and it also turns heads.

“A few people watch us and look puzzled,” says Terry Pfeiffer, associate pastor.

Members of United Methodist Church carry a cross through the intersection of Craven and Carteret streets to mark Good Friday.
Members of United Methodist Church carry a cross through the intersection of Craven and Carteret streets to mark Good Friday.

But some people who see the procession decide to join in.

“We’ve had visitors stop on the road and say, ‘Hey, can we take part,’” said Ellen Fabian, an administrative assistant at the church.

On Friday, those who were carrying the cross through the heart of downtown Beaufort ducked under awnings, sidestepped tourists and sweated.

A cross is placed upright in a hole at United Methodist Church on Carteret Street in Beaufort after members carried it about 2 miles through the city in commemoration of Good Friday.
A cross is placed upright in a hole at United Methodist Church on Carteret Street in Beaufort after members carried it about 2 miles through the city in commemoration of Good Friday.

“Tiring,” said M.C. Chisum, after he took his turn. “I can’t imagine him doing it.”

At the end of the journey, a brief service was held on the steps of the church, known for its grand white pillars — and a famous incident in 1993 when actor Tom Hanks, in town filming “Forrest Gump,” stopped to congratulate a bride before the wedding, with the wedding photographer snapping a photo of them.

About 30 United Methodist members walked behind the cross. Members took turns carrying the load.

Bryson Williams, the church’s senior pastor, noted that the Bible says that a large crowd of people followed Jesus when he was carrying the cross, including “many women who mourned and lamented him.”

In John 19:17, the Bible says Jesus carried the cross while Matthew 27:32, Mark 15:21 and Luke 23:26 says that Simon of Cyrene helped him, according to Biblword. It is believed the cross weighed 300 pounds while the crossbar is estimated to be around 70-90 pounds. It is unclear whether Jesus carried the entire cross or the crossbar, Biblword says.

“It’s just to remind ourselves of his compassionate love for humankind,” Pfeiffer said of the Good Friday pilgrimage.

Easter services

A Community Easter Sunrise Service, sponsored by First African Baptist Church and First Scots Presbyterian Church of Beaufort, will be at 7 a.m. Sunday at the Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park in downtown Beaufort.

St. Helena Baptist Church will also conduct a 6:30 a.m. service at North Beach at Hunting Island State Park.