St. Luke’s Lifts Up New Cross

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) -- If you drive by St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Idaho Falls, you'll notice it has a new illuminated 10-foot-by-5-foot bronze cross on its tower.

The previous cross, made of wood and covered in aluminum, used to sit atop the building. But because of the strong winds in the area, church leaders decided to affix the new cross directly to the tower instead.

The church took down the old cross in 2020 due to safety concerns after the wood began to rot.

The new cross cost the parish more than $14,000, an amount the church raised in only about two weeks. David Macfarlane, on the Building and Grounds Committee, says that shows how excited parish members were to see the project completed.

Macfarlane says he also feels the cross helps advertise what the church is about.

"Oh, it's a thrill to have the ability to tell people without having to go out, stand on a street corner with a wobbly sign saying, here we are."

Macfarlane also hopes the cross will do more than light up the sky. He hopes it will increase membership and help distinguish the church from others on the same block.

"Because without a cross, there's no real identity. This will be definite. It will be obvious."

Macfarlane says, like many congregations, their numbers have been struggling. He hopes the new cross will help draw more people in.

"Hopefully that'll build a little bit of our membership, And if they're curious, they come on inside. I think it will at least get them to pay attention to it."

He also notes the church's location and how not having a cross may have impacted passersby.

"We have two other churches on this street. So we have the Methodist and the Presbyterian, and here we are. And this looked like a school building without a cross."