By Victoria McClary, Contributing Writer
In late September, Mayor Harold Rainwater received an email from the Wisconsin based Freedom From Religion Foundation which asked the city of Wilmore to remove the cross from the water tower. Since this initial email, the city has been the subject of various news stories. Asbury University showed their support for the decision made by the city to keep the cross. Asbury President, Dr. Sandra Gray echoed this sentiment in her campus-wide email in October.
The controversy of removing the cross from the water tower in Wilmore has returned to the forefront of Asbury student’s minds after an open letter was sent by Asbury Student Congress via a campus wide email. The letter sent to students is a response from the Student Congress to the Freedom From Religion Foundation about their request for the city of Wilmore to remove the cross from the water tower.
In the letter, ASC speaks about the importance the water tower has had in the community of Wilmore, but that while the cross is an important symbol to the Christian faith, it does not replace a real commitment of faith to Jesus Christ. They also stated that if the cross has to be removed, this fact will not change the faith of the city of Wilmore or the response of love that the city will offer.
ASC Student Body President, Meredith Anderson said that the letter is meant to “be an encouragement to students, and that it would show the way that we should be responding to this issue as Christians.” Anderson also stated that “Although it is a city issue, and not necessarily a campus issue, we felt that the students of Asbury should respond in some way to the organization since the water tower is so close to our campus, but in love rather than hate.” Because of this, ASC encourages the students to maintain their integrity as Christians throughout this situation and to show love towards those in the Freedom From Religion Foundation.
When asked about the letter, Mindi Wafford, the Vice President of Spiritual Life responded by saying, “Our cross means so much to all of us and is so symbolic for our city, but no matter what, our response is to be one like Jesus who died on that cross in the first place, so that we could be love and be loved by him freely without the need any more for striving and sacrifice.”