Community of Christ church in Kansas City, Kansas, invites public to write names on Memorial Day crosses

Dozens of white crosses are planted in the grass at Shawnee Drive Community of Christ Church in Kansas City, Kansas, each one carrying a name and a memory. Church leaders invite people to stop by, pick up a Sharpie and add the name of someone they love.

Each Memorial Day, the church lawn becomes a community memorial. Crosses fill the grass, and each one serves as an open invitation to stop, reflect and remember. Anyone is welcome, whether or not they are church members. Visitors can grab a Sharpie, write a name and take a moment.

Pastor Huyett said the day often becomes a time for conversation. “Sometimes people meet up here and get an opportunity to share some stories too, which is really Memorial Day for us,” he said. “We’ve found out over the years that a lot of people just like to share stories and remember their loved ones and then just an opportunity to write their name and share that with other people who want to see that and stop by.”

Huyett wrote his mother’s name on a cross. She died several years ago. “It is nice just to be able to write down a loved one’s name and start remembering all the good stuff and telling stories with your kids,” he said. He added, “It’s just an opportunity to reminisce and but also move forward.”

He described the purpose of the observance in simple terms. “I think Memorial Day in general we do it just so that you have some reflection over the ones that aren’t here anymore,” Huyett said. Honoring those who have gone before is a practice of remembering the past and passing it on (Deuteronomy 32:7).

The crosses remain on display all week. Members of the public are encouraged to stop by and pay respects to lost loved ones.

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