A white cross perched on a California hilltop overlooking a Christian college withstood the flames of a raging wildfire that destroyed hundreds of acres round Malibu, with the college’s college students and college seeking to the cross’s survival as a logo of hope.
The cross is a 20-foot picket construction anchored to the bottom with cement, and it stands atop a hill above Pepperdine College. Final Wednesday, the college shared an image of the cross standing tall above a hillside ravaged by the Franklin Hearth.
Beginning Dec. 9, the Franklin Hearth scorched greater than 4,000 acres in Los Angeles County, in keeping with the California Division of Forestry and Hearth Safety. On the time of reporting, the reason for the fireplace was nonetheless below investigation, and containment of the fireplace stood at 63%.
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Pepperdine College suspended regular operations and applied shelter-in-place protocols because the blaze raged close to the establishment, as Fox Climate reported. Whereas preliminary studies indicated some structural injury, no accidents have been reported, and the fireplace now not seems to be a menace to the campus.
Within the aftermath of the chaos, the white cross, withstanding the fireplace, has served as a beacon of hope to the campus neighborhood.
“As I bought nearer, I started to get teary eyed. … I’m grateful to God that he spared Pepperdine and this cross, that burned down throughout the Woolsey fireplace and had to get replaced,” the college mentioned in a press release final week. “Somehow, he spared it, as if he wanted us to have something tangible to hold onto to help us through the difficulty we just went through.”
This isn’t the first time that the cross reminded the community of God’s love in the wake of a devastating tragedy.
Members of the Sigma Chi fraternity placed the wooden cross on the hill in December 2018 to honor Alaina Housley, a first-year Seaver College student killed during a shooting at Borderline Bar and Grill. The 2018 shooting at the establishment resulted in the deaths of 12 people and dozens of injuries, as the California Victim Compensation Board reported in a November 2022 news release.
According to Pepperdine University’s website, the brothers of the Sigma Chi fraternity carried the cross in pieces up the trail. The fraternity brothers anchored the white cross in its current location after the Woolsey Fire in November 2018 devastated the landscape.
“The paint is waterproof, but not fireproof,” one of the fraternity members told Fox Weather this month, saying this “shows how impressive [it] is that they are still standing strong.”
In a Monday statement, Pepperdine University President Jim Gash expressed pride in the way the campus community responded to the emergency situation, as well as gratitude to God for protecting the school. The university president encouraged everyone to continue praying for those still in danger due to the fire and for the emergency responders battling the blaze.
Gash also cited the biblical parable of the two builders, found in Matthew 7:24-27, which tells the story of two men; one who built his house on solid rock while the second man built his house on sand. When the storms came, the house built on rock stood firm, and the other house collapsed.
Jesus used the parable to describe someone who hears His words and acts upon them by using them to build a firm foundation for their life, which he illustrates through the man who built his house on solid rock. Those who merely hear God’s word but do not follow it are exposed when the weak life foundation they constructed for themselves is destroyed when challenges arise.
The university leader compared the parable to the current events impacting the campus community, which he noted had revealed its character in a time of turbulence.
“When we return in the new year, we will continue to pursue knowledge and the search for truth in every aspect of life,” the Pepperdine College president wrote. “We will continue to practice the genuine fellowship and deep joy that makes Pepperdine special. We will continue to love and support one another through every good time and every difficulty. It will not always be easy. But we will continue to rise to meet whatever challenges come our way.”
“With God’s help, we will continue to stand firm,” Gash said, praying for the campus neighborhood’s security all through the remainder of December and into the New Yr.
Samantha Kamman is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: samantha.kamman@christianpost.com. Follow her on Twitter: @Samantha_Kamman
“Well bless their hearts.”
