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Hernando Today

Cross Unites Cell Phone Users

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BY KLINT LOWRY

Published: June 14, 2008

NEW PORT RICHEY - Gulf Coast Worship Center on Sunday will dedicate something that is already a landmark for many residents.

The 160-foot-tall cross-topped tower rising from behind the sanctuary has been catching the eyes of drivers along Little Road for about six months. By day it glows with reflected sunlight, and at night a spotlight makes it shine like a beacon.

Gulf Coast's pastor, the Rev. David Arnold, has been moved by the sight of the white cross.

"I was on Little Road driving to church for Sunday service," Arnold said. "It was a stormy, overcast day."

As he approached the church, he saw the illuminated cross shining through the gloom. "I just thought, 'What a great message,'" he said.

What Arnold knows, and some people may not realize, is that the giant cross is a cell phone tower.

About a year ago, Arnold said, Tampa-based Vertex Development contacted him about putting a tower on church property. The pastor initially wasn't keen on the idea but said he would be if the tower looked like a cross.

Not a problem. The explosion in use of cell phones and other wireless communication devices has meant more and more antenna towers are needed. Even though they have become more prevalent, utilitarian towers have never been considered a credit to the landscape.

To get past objections, companies including Vertex have developed creative ways to camouflage the towers and the antennas inside them, including various types of trees and, in Arizona, a giant cactus.

In the north Pinellas County community of East Lake, a cell tower masquerades as a giant flagpole from which waves the Stars and Stripes.

Depending on the design, the artistic flourishes can double the cost of a tower. However, instead of drawing protests, such towers have been embraced by their communities.

Officials from other churches have contacted Arnold to offer their compliments and, in some cases, inquire how they might get one.

And when he's out and about town, people recognize him as being from the church with the big cross, and they offer compliments as well.

The cross has even drawn a few worshippers to Gulf Coast.

"It has surprised me," Arnold said. "It has roused interest in a healthy way. We haven't had multitudes, but seven or eight people have come and checked us out."

The cross has been a source of pride for the congregation, Arnold added. It has contributed to the church's identity and fits in with its slogan, "Presenting the Message of Christ in the 21st century."

Also, the monthly payment from T-Mobile/Vertex goes into the church's missionary fund, Arnold said.

If other wireless service providers want to place antennas on the tower, they also would pay a fee.

The idea for a dedication ceremony came from church member Judee Grodesky, who suggested that the overwhelmingly positive response to the cross be recognized.

IF YOU GO

Gulf Coast Worship Center is at 10534 Little Road, just north of Jasmine Road in New Port Richey. A simple ceremony to dedicate the cross-topped cell phone tower on the property will take place after the 10:30 a.m. Sunday service. For information, call (727) 868-2089.

Reporter Klint Lowry can be reached at (727) 815-1067 or klowry@suncoastnews.com.

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