Church to bring story of the cross to life

The story of the cross, a central symbol of Easter and the Christian faith for centuries, will come to life at 11 a.m. Sunday, March 28, at Fourth Street United Methodist Church, 551 S. Fourth St. in Aurora.

Using wood, metal and ceramic-inlaid crosses from his 200-plus personal collection, the Rev. Alfred Patten, Fourth St. UMC interim pastor, will discuss and display crosses from the U.S., Brazil, China, Israel, Romania, Korea and other countries. Patten will display crosses ranging in size from a few inches to four-feet long.

A Plainfield native, Patten began collecting crosses more than 40 years ago in his first pastoral assignment and helped establish cross collections at United Methodist churches in Sycamore and St. Charles (where Patten retired). The presentation is open to the public. Call (630) 897-5257 for information.