Stations of the Cross, a longtime Christian tradition, has been defined as a spiritual pilgrimage, following a designed path and with some, viewing images symbolizing the path that Jesus took on His last day from His condemnation to His crucifixion.

Milford United Methodist Church, 1630 Statesville Blvd. in Salisbury, is hosting a Stations of the Cross now until April 7 for the community to visit and walk. In a previous release, Rev. Jim Parsons, pastor of the local church, shared that they are “honored to host this special event that invites our community to reflect on the deep themes of sacrifice, forgiveness and grace.”

Parsons said this was the first year they have had this particular event during his six years there, noting that the worship team “wanted to offer something different this Lenten season. It’s a community invitation.”

The walk, set up on the field beside the church, offers a time of prayer and reflection as well as an opportunity to see images of 15 special paintings created by Tennessee death row inmates depicting Jesus and His walk to Calvary. The inmates, Parsons shared, used the traditional Stations of the Cross from the Roman Catholic Church, for the paintings.

Not having any images for the walk, the pastor said he did some Google searches, “looking for something that would be a little eye-catching but also inviting not only to our church, but to the community.”

While on the Red Letter Christian website, the pastor said that was where he first found the reference to the images. While searching for where to download the images, he found the information he needed on the website of the Western North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church. It provided a link for the paintings and permission to use them. 

“When I asked the worship team, they were, ‘oh this is great, yes.’”

The walk begins at the top of the steps leading to the church playground and open field. This is where the first poster is placed, which shares the story from one of the men, Derrick Quintero, who helped to create the images. In the description, he said that this “piece of art is a commentary on the continuing battle for our collective moral worldview,” and he asked fellow community members to “help create this project to begin the conversation about what justice looks like.”

This first poster also contains a QR code where participants can link to the church’s website to follow along with the scripture references for the particular images that have them so you can read at those stations if you would like to, Parsons said.

The digital copies of the paintings are easily visible, measuring 3 feet by 2 feet and are staked into the ground and spaced out around the field, allowing attendees the chance to take their time and walk around and study and reflect upon them.

Placed on March 24, the images will remain up through April 7 providing time after Easter for those who may not have been able to see them prior, and visitors can come any time, day or night, to walk, the pastor said.

“I think the Stations of the Cross is always a perfect thing to do during Holy Week because that’s when it happened,” Parsons shared. “But I think the fact that these were images created by inmates on death row, literally people who would be hanging next to Jesus, is a unique perspective, the basis of our salvation story. To come to grips with that reality with the gift of what Jesus did on the cross for us is kind of a unique perspective I think.”

Betty Jo Hardy, a longtime member of the church, shared that the fact that death row inmates did the artwork impacted her.

“You can’t help but be impacted by this,” she said, and “it adds a lot of depth to the images,” the pastor added.

Uncertain of the number of people who may have visited thus far, the pastor did say he had heard some church members comment they are excited about taking the walk and learning more.

For those unable to attend the walk, all of the images are posted on the church’s website at milfordhillsumc.org along with scripture references and additional information about the Stations of the Cross.

While this is the first year for them to have this event, Parsons did say the prints should remain in good condition and last for a while.

“That is our hope that it can be a return for next year or a couple of years,” he said.

In addition to the Stations of the Cross, the church will also be having special Easter services including a Service of Tenebrae or Service of Darkness at 7 p.m. on Good Friday, an Easter sunrise service at 7 a.m. in the courtyard with a potluck breakfast afterward and Easter Sunday worship at 10 a.m.