The tallest cross in the Western Hemisphere will soon rise in Corpus Christi, Texas. The city's Latin name fittingly translates to "Body of Christ."
The Corpus Christi Cross Project had its groundbreaking ceremony on Jan. 31 at the Abundant Life Fellowship campus along Interstate 37 in Corpus Christi.
Pastor Rick Milby, who is spearheading the project, said the cross will reach 210 feet high and 95 feet wide and will be finished in a year.
Milby revealed that the project began in June 2013 when he traveled to Galveston, Texas and saw a massive white cross at Sagemount Church.
"For the next several months God began speaking to my heart about erecting a mega cross in Corpus Christi," he said, according to the project's website.
In a meeting with Sagemont Church, officials "shared story after story about lives that were changed, suicides that were aborted, relationships that were restored because of the influence of the cross, reminding them that the Redeemer could restore their brokenness."
He said the cross will be built using 5/8" thick cold rolled steel plate, mounted to a massive steel and concrete foundation which extends 48 feet below grade.
"This Cross will be visible up to 5 miles away by land, and 10 miles away by air. Every plane approaching Corpus Christi will descend approximately one half mile east of the Cross," he said.
Milby told KrisTV that "the cross is so massive and so tall it will have a two-foot deflection at the top, it will actually sway in the wind two feet back and forth."
"The cross is gonna be the second largest cross in the world. The largest cross in the world is in Madrid, Spain. It's 495 feet tall. This cross will be the largest cross in the Western Hemisphere. It will span 210 feet in the air," he added.
