Anyone who has ever taken a road trip throughout the state of Mississippi, has likely spotted a few enormous crosses. Most of these crosses were built by Mike Rozier Construction, and they serve as monuments to symbolize the crucifixion of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary, where he died bearing the wages of the world’s sin.
Currently, there are at least six huge crosses in the state of Mississippi located in Prentiss County, Eupora, Winona, Florence, Grenada, and Batesville. In 2014, Mike Rozier Construction erected the state’s first 120-foot cross in Florence. More recently, its fourth cross project — the Cross of Christ — was finished in Eupora in July 2019. Last May, the company’s fifth cross in the state was installed in Grenada, which stands 124 feet tall. The company — out of an act of servanthood to God — reportedly makes no profit from building these crosses, only charging what the project costs to complete.
Mayor Tim Kyle said he received information from a member of the Eupora community group which assisted in the effort to build a cross there. Its “Cross of Christ” stands 120 feet tall and weighs more than 45,000 pounds. Organizers raised $210,000 to fund the project. From start to finish, it took seven working days to build and erect the cross.
Kyle said this is a project that could happen in Kosciusko, but it will take more than one church or one denomination to raise the money. What it will take is a collective effort from city and county residents alike, as well as churches within the community.
“To make this something that we could do in this community, we're going to need every church, every denomination, and every race. Everybody's got to be on board with this because it's a big undertaking,” said Kyle.
Building the cross on private property would evade any obstacles found in city or county code.
Kyle said Kirk Dickerson, president of Dickerson Companies, is willing to donate a piece of property to the project, potentially near the intersection of Highway 12 and Veterans Memorial Drive or behind Kangaroo Crossing.
Incidentally, Attala County Bank, which is being built at that intersection, is being constructed by Mike Rozier Construction.
Section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Internal Revenue Code allows for federal tax exemption of nonprofit organizations. Organizations must be considered charitable by the IRS to receive a 501(c)(3) classification. According to the IRS, a charitable organization is one that has been established for the following purposes: religious, scientific, testing for public safety, literary, educational, fostering of national or international amateur sports, and prevention of cruelty to animals and children.
To get the project started, the first step will be organizing the non-profit organization, which is how the Eupora community got started, as well.
In April of this year, there was a community effort in Starkville to build a cross, but there were zoning obstacles in the city code and Starkville Mayor Lynn Spruill was reportedly not in favor of the project.
In addition to the cross, the project would include a parking lot, sitting areas, and potentially solar light panels to illuminate the cross at night. A box may be made available at the area filled with cards where people can make donations or memorials honoring a loved one. It also may serve as a meeting-place for community events, including meetings for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and See-You-At-The-Pole, a nationwide prayer rally where students meet at their school flagpole before classes start to lift up their friends, families, teachers, school, and nation to God. The total estimated cost includes stone at the base of the cross, benches, and around 10 parking spaces.
Most of the cross sites include a place for visitors to pray or submit prayer requests.
Photo submitted.
Eupora raised the money for its project in 14 months, and Winona raised funds even more rapidly. Local resident and property owner Charles Curry stated during the public comment section of the Sept. 21 aldermen meeting that he believes the Kosciusko and Attala County communities can reach their goal even faster.
“We have to have people who are committed to the project and will get the community involved,” said Kyle. “It’s going to take a community who is on fire for this.”
