Crosses coming to Calvary Community

The Gospels don’t always agree on specific details of Jesus’ life, but on at least one detail regarding his death they’re in harmony: there were three crosses on Calvary that day. It seems appropriate then that Calvary Community Church in Westlake Village would identify itself with a monument comprised of three crosses.

The first of these crosses, a 35 foot-tall aluminum, interior-lit monument could go up sometime in the next month, according to Wendell Mobley, a spokesman for the church.

"There will be three crosses just as at Calvary," said Mobley. "The light represents the light and hope that Christ provides to a world that desperately needs hope."

Two other crosses, each 20 feet in height and flanking the larger central cross, will be constructed as conditions and finances permit.

According to Bob Theobald, planning director for Westlake Village, the crosses were in the architect’s plans when the city council originally approved the church’s construction.

"We had other things that needed to get done, other priorities," said Mobley of why the crosses hadn’t been erected earlier. "We had the opportunity to move ahead with this now," thanks to a donation by a member of the church who preferred anonymity.

The crosses will be visible from the 101 Freeway and will serve to help identify the church.

"You’ll be able to see it from Malibu," Mobley quipped. "That’s the idea."

Construction will begin on the cross as soon as the required permits are issued, which Mobley expects will occur in the next few weeks.

––Gregory Koteles