MARY HARDBARGER The Roanoke Times

This morning, members of The Bridge Christian Foursquare Church in Christiansburg will repair crosses in Montgomery County — like these on Virginia 114.

| Mary Hardbarger

mary.hardbarger@roanoke.com, 381-1679

CHRISTIANSBURG -- When driving down a back road, highway or interstate, you may have spotted a cluster of towering crosses resting on a hillside or by the road.

These 400-pound crosses are located across the United States, and many were erected years ago.

Many of the crosses have become weathered over the years and now need repair.

Dee Danner, a member of The Bridge Christian Foursquare Church in Christiansburg, recently looked for ways that he and other members of the congregation could help touch them up.

"I've traveled a lot and seen quite a lot of them," Danner said. "I noticed that they were looking run-down and felt a calling to help out."

Paul Sheldon, senior pastor at The Bridge, said he wasn't sure if anyone had ever attempted to clean the crosses in the area before.

"After Dee brought this to my attention, I realized that the crosses really were in great disrepair," he said.

This morning, Danner and other members of the church will visit the crosses located in Montgomery County and give them some much-needed care.

The project is being funded by the church's missions offerings and, according to Danner, will cost less than $500 -- the paint being the biggest cost.

All three sets of crosses are located on private property, but Danner has received permission from each landowner and the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office to proceed.

The crosses were built as a result of a vision by Bernard Coffindaffer, founder of Crosses of Mercy -- Cast Thy Bread Inc. Today, the nonprofit organization is called Christian Crosses Inc.

Coffindaffer was born in Craigsville, W.Va., in 1935 and later went on to build a successful coal-washing business. At 42, he became a Christian.

Hoffindaffer said the Holy Spirit instructed him in a vision to use his fortune and find the manpower and the materials to build the crosses.

For the final nine years of his life, he spent approximately $3 million and planted the clusters of crosses in 29 states, the District of Columbia, Zambia and the Philippines.

They symbolize Christ on the cross flanked by the two thieves who were crucified with him. The middle cross is always painted gold and the two on each side a pale blue.

Today, there are approximately 1,864 such sets of crosses standing in the United States. In Virginia, there are 131; three are in Montgomery County.

Danner said he was told there used to be five sets in the area, but he has located only three.

He believes one was chopped down by a property owner who worried that it would fall.

With an interest in the crosses and their origins, Danner began researching them online. He came across a Web site, christiancrosses.org, that provided him with their history and an idea for a project.

There, he found tips and technical information on the crosses -- everything from the color of the paint to tips on how to straighten leaning crosses.

Today, the teams -- hammers and paint buckets in hand -- will bring new life to the crosses in hopes of reminding passers-by of their significance.

"If Jesus hadn't died for us, there would be no hope for the future," Danner said.

"They're just breathtaking."

Sheldon sees this project as a way to restore, repair and renew not only the crosses, but the community as well.

"We're going to be doing a lot of physical work, but there's going to be something very spiritual about it as well," he said.

In the future, he said he plans to extend the repair work to other crosses in the area.

"We're trying to reach into the community in a new and fresh way," he said.

The group will meet at the church at 8:30 a.m., and Sheldon said he welcomes anyone who would like to pitch in.