Hundreds of people gathered on Good Friday last year for a nearly two-mile trek around downtown Cape Girardeau that was not for physical fitness but spiritual health.

The group gathered for a Way of the Cross walk sponsored by the Downtown Council of Churches, and organizers are hoping for a larger crowd this year.

The walk begins at noon Friday at Riverfront Park near the Broadway and Themis streets floodgates. It will wind through several downtown blocks, stopping along the way for Scripture readings and songs.

The Way of the Cross walk is an adaptation of the Jewish custom observed by pilgrims coming to Jerusalem.

The number of stations, or stops, coincides with places associated with Christ's suffering before his death. The number is fixed at 14, and eight of them are based on events recorded in the Gospel. The others are inferred from scriptural accounts.

The walk will make stops at the Main Street clock, arts council offices, the Convention and Visitor's Bureau, Southeast Missourian, Hirsch building, May Greene Park, City Hall, Salvation Army, Family Counseling Center, Fire Station No. 1, St. Mary's School, Indian Park, Police Station No. 2 and the River Campus.

Community value

Many of the stations on the walk are chosen for their value to the community: places that are public institutions serving residents.

A large, wooden cross will be carried as the group progresses.

The Rev. Bob Towner, rector of Christ Episcopal Church, helped organize the city's first event last year. He had done similar walks while serving in Mason City, Iowa.

The walk helps prepare people for Easter, the Christian celebration of new beginnings.

"Even though it was solemn, it was joyful," Towner said.

People are used to celebrating Easter as a means of expressing their joy in personal salvation, but Towner thinks people should also consider what that might mean for the community at large, he said.

"What does it mean if God conquered sin and death in our community?" he asked.

The thrill of Easter continues in the community, he said. While people gather on Good Friday in a solemn voice, they can rejoice together at a sunrise service Easter morning.

Good Friday "is not the end of the story," he said.

ljohnston@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 126