By Catherine Godbey 

For the Enquirer  

Nestled in rural Morgan County, among farmland and quaint country homes, stands a cross over 8 feet tall. The cross erected by Oak Ridge Baptist Church appeared on the barren plot of land in northwest Hartselle last month. 

For the members of Oak Ridge Baptist, the prayer cross serves as a sign of outreach and love. 

“We put it up hoping that people would nail their prayer requests to the cross,” Jerry Chenault said. “To be honest, though, if it has had a single prayer nailed to it, I don’t know about it. But it is there if even one person needs to lay their burdens down at the foot of the cross.” 

As pastor of Oak Ridge Baptist in Hartselle, a small country church with a congregation hovering around 40, Chenault oversaw the creation of the prayer cross. The idea stemmed from a book Chenault’s wife, Michelle, read about a pastor in Mississippi. 

“He did something similar, but did it a little different and a little better than what we’re doing. The pastor stayed at the cross all day every day for several months. People would come up and he would pray with them. They would nail their prayers to the cross and turn them over to the Lord,” Chenault said. 

Over the course of those 100 days, more than 1,500 people shared their prayer requests at the cross. 

During Sunday school lessons and church gatherings, members of Oak Ridge Baptist discussed the book and the impact of the prayer cross. 

“We talked about how the prayer cross was a way to reach out to people and pray with them about whatever is going on in their lives. Somebody at church finally mentioned that we could put a cross on our land,” Chenault said. 

In early March, Chenault, along with members David Archer and Charles Driver built and erected the cross made of 6-by-6 pressure-treated lumber on land on Vaughn Bridge Road. 

After constructing the cross, Chenault posted to Facebook, “We can pray anywhere and at any time. Scripture tells us we can … . Scripture also tells us there’s power in the interceding prayers of the saints. And we are to bear each other’s burdens. Oak Ridge Baptist Church has put up a cross … so you can nail or tape or tack your requests to it. We will be praying over these requests… . You can attach your requests there and know that they will be lifted up to the Lord.” 

The cross represents the latest project Chenault, a former extension agent and martial arts instructor, has undertaken since becoming pastor of Oak Ridge Baptist in the fall of 2022. 

“I have been in church my whole life, but I was a lukewarm believer that whole time. I never considered being a pastor until I was in my 50s,” the 62-year-old Chenault said. “Now I can’t imagine doing anything else.” 

Chenault’s path to preaching began seven years ago after closing his karate studio. 

“I thought I was retiring. I had plenty to do at home. But then I started getting these thoughts and nudges. It was God,” Chenault said. 

Chenault attended seminary for four years and began serving as a supply work pastor, filling in temporarily at churches. One of those churches was Oak Ridge Baptist where his younger brother preached for a year. 

“When my brother announced he was leaving Oak Ridge, I told him to tell them I’d be glad to fill in and do interim work. They asked me to fill in until they could find a real pastor. After a few months they told me they wanted me to be their pastor,” Chenault said. 

In the year and a half since Chenault’s arrival at Oak Ridge, the congregation has more than doubled. 

“When I came on, the church had 18 members and they were talking about closing. They were expecting the church to close and knew it was just a matter of time. Now we are running around 40. We are still small, but we are growing,” Chenault said. 

Individuals can stop by the cross on Vaughn Bridge Road, two-tenths of a mile west of Forest Chapel Road, any time day or night. They can nail, tape or take prayers to the cross, which is checked every couple of days. 

“I don’t do what I do for the money but because I want to reach people for Christ. The cross is one of the ways we can do that,” Chenault said.