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A pastor is set to walk through the town centre carrying a cross near his church today to mark Good Friday. Pastor Stan Smith from Grace Church, Atherton , will be walking through the town today while carrying the cross on his back. The pastor is no stranger to cross carrying - 40 years ago, he carried a cross from Leigh to London over 10 days.
He said: "Our congregation is coming to watch, and there might be one or two reps from other churches. The pastor carried a similar cross to London in the 1980s (Image: Phil Taylor) Read more: 'We've been blown away' by school's Easter generosity Read more: 5 cheap flights for last minute Easter Holiday breaks in Rome, Paris and more Read more: 'Infuriated' Sainsbury's shoppers left with 'trust issues' over Easter egg error "We'll be hosting an open service in the town afterwards. (Image: Phil Taylor) "The cross is the most powerful symbol of God's son, where at the most pivotal point of history, he died for us on the cross 2000 years ago, then he rose again three days later.
" Speaking about when he previously carried a cross, he explained: "We had to travel about 20 miles a day with the cross, there were three of us so we did cheat a little bit because we took a car with us, and one of us would go ten miles ahead in the car at a time." The route will take Pastor Smith from his church down to Market Street in Atherton, and then on past the Punch Bowl Pub, before returning to the town centre. He says the cross he'll be carrying is around 30 kilos, which is no mean feat for a man in his 70s.
Grace Church recently merged with the long-established Atherton Evangelical Church, which has produced a growing congregation. This Easter marks the one year anniversary of the merger..
