Christianity is the only one of the world’s religions that celebrates a symbol of capital punishment.

“The symbol of the cross is pivotal for Christians,” said First United Methodist Church Minister of Discipleship Cheryl Wager. “It’s what Jesus did on the cross for us so we would have eternal life. We don’t celebrate death, the tragedy and the darkness of Friday; we celebrate the good news of Sunday with the resurrection.”

And so, this ancient symbol of brutal death becomes one of rebirth and the promise of eternal life celebrated throughout the Christian world today on Easter Sunday.

In this sense, every day is Easter at First Methodist. Nearly 150 crosses fashioned of a wide variety of materials line a third-floor corridor. The crosses, given in honor or in memory of someone, are purchased by church members in their travels to different parts of the nation and the world.

Wager began the tradition of the “Wall of Crosses” when she came to First Methodist in early summer of 2003. But she says it wasn’t an original idea.

“I had taken a trip to the Holy Land through Jerusalem and in this one cathedral there was an alcove that was filled with crosses,” said Wager. “And then, in Carmel, Calif., there is a church with walls of olive wood and it has an alcove with crosses.”

When Wager, an ordained deacon in the United Methodist Church, was at First Methodist in Huntsville, she also began a wall of crosses. She said she hadn’t been back to Huntsville to see how that wall had progressed, but she is amazed at how fast the wall at Athens First United Methodist is filling.

“It has become such a blessing,” she said. “Wherever our members travel, they bring back a cross…. In this way the journey of the cross represents the journey of the people who donate the crosses, as well as the journeys of the persons to whom they are dedicated.”

Wager said it is impossible to choose a favorite among the crosses because each is unique. “It’s amazing. There are no two alike, just as we are created unique.”

There is a cross from the Methodist Camp Sumatonga of a carved wood with smaller crosses at the juncture of the main cross arms. “This represents the four corners of the world,” said Wager. “Then we have a cross from St. Simon’s Island where John Wesley preached his first sermon in the United States.”

Crosses are dedicated to pastors, former pastors, Sunday school teachers, and loved ones, both living and dead. They are painted, carved, sculpted, beaded, embossed and of kiln-fired ceramic composition.

The wall has become so popular with church members that a second wall has been started in the basement where children’s classes meet so that the younger members may contribute their own crosses.

The church is located at Hobbs and North Jefferson streets. The Rev. Jimmy Bassham is pastor. The church office is open daily from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Visitors may call the church office at 232-2020 to view the crosses other than at regular worship times.

“The cross represents tragedy, but it also represents victory like the seasons of our own lives,” said Wager.