Post by AuntieSocial on Nov 22, 2003 23:44:40 GMT -5
A 'billboard' of belief
Local man uses roadside cross to promote Jesus[/b]
Click here to read the article on the original site
By: Jay Tokasz
Published: November 22, 2003
Publication: Buffalo News
Western New York commuters got a glimpse Friday morning of Tom Kapinos' dramatization of the Crucifixion.
As cars and trucks whizzed by on the Thruway in West Seneca, Kapinos "hung" from a 10-foot-tall wooden cross nearby in an effort to get people thinking about Jesus.
The bizarre sight prompted several calls to West Seneca police.
During the dramatization, Kapinos, 52, wears a purple robe and a wig of long hair with a crown of thorns as he stands with his arms extended on a platform attached to a cross of four-by-fours. His beard is natural.
He calls the display "A Living Christian Billboard" and has been appearing at various points in Western New York since Easter 2002.
"We're out there to stir people's hearts," he said. "It's an opportunity for the spirit of God to move."
Kapinos, who lives in Lackawanna, said he sets up the cross three or four times a month. Other spots have included Route 5 near Ridge Road in Lackawanna, River Road in the Town of Tonawanda and Willet Road in the Town of Hamburg, he said.
He is usually joined by his friend Joe of West Seneca, who did not want to give his last name, and their wives.
Kapinos describes himself as a nondenominational Christian. He runs a Christian fellowship program of Bible study and other activities in Lackawanna.
From 7:15 to 9:30 a.m., he and Joe set up the cross Friday in a small park along the Buffalo River near Harlem Road, easily visible to passers-by on the Thruway. They also displayed a banner that read, "Repent and Be Baptized."
Reactions to the scenes have varied, he said, from people weeping and kneeling in front of the cross to insults and threats.
"There's a price to pay to go out there. The work of the cross is offensive to some," he said. "We've been ridiculed a lot of times."
Police said Kapinos wasn't breaking any laws.
"As long as he's not trespassing, he's not violating any laws as far as we see it," said West Seneca Police Lt. Joel Fallon.
ROBERT KIRKHAM/Buffalo News
Tom Kapinos as Jesus, and his friend Joe as a Roman guard, give Thruway commuters some food for thought during a re-enactment of the Crucifixion on Friday in a small park along the Buffalo River in West Seneca.
Local man uses roadside cross to promote Jesus[/b]
Click here to read the article on the original site
By: Jay Tokasz
Published: November 22, 2003
Publication: Buffalo News
Western New York commuters got a glimpse Friday morning of Tom Kapinos' dramatization of the Crucifixion.
As cars and trucks whizzed by on the Thruway in West Seneca, Kapinos "hung" from a 10-foot-tall wooden cross nearby in an effort to get people thinking about Jesus.
The bizarre sight prompted several calls to West Seneca police.
During the dramatization, Kapinos, 52, wears a purple robe and a wig of long hair with a crown of thorns as he stands with his arms extended on a platform attached to a cross of four-by-fours. His beard is natural.
He calls the display "A Living Christian Billboard" and has been appearing at various points in Western New York since Easter 2002.
"We're out there to stir people's hearts," he said. "It's an opportunity for the spirit of God to move."
Kapinos, who lives in Lackawanna, said he sets up the cross three or four times a month. Other spots have included Route 5 near Ridge Road in Lackawanna, River Road in the Town of Tonawanda and Willet Road in the Town of Hamburg, he said.
He is usually joined by his friend Joe of West Seneca, who did not want to give his last name, and their wives.
Kapinos describes himself as a nondenominational Christian. He runs a Christian fellowship program of Bible study and other activities in Lackawanna.
From 7:15 to 9:30 a.m., he and Joe set up the cross Friday in a small park along the Buffalo River near Harlem Road, easily visible to passers-by on the Thruway. They also displayed a banner that read, "Repent and Be Baptized."
Reactions to the scenes have varied, he said, from people weeping and kneeling in front of the cross to insults and threats.
"There's a price to pay to go out there. The work of the cross is offensive to some," he said. "We've been ridiculed a lot of times."
Police said Kapinos wasn't breaking any laws.
"As long as he's not trespassing, he's not violating any laws as far as we see it," said West Seneca Police Lt. Joel Fallon.
ROBERT KIRKHAM/Buffalo News
Tom Kapinos as Jesus, and his friend Joe as a Roman guard, give Thruway commuters some food for thought during a re-enactment of the Crucifixion on Friday in a small park along the Buffalo River in West Seneca.
Obviously, they are lacking in their authenticity. The shield isn't Roman. I've seen better representations of historical events ochestrated by school children ... 