Stations of the Cross draws 1,000 in worship down Main Street

Early on the morning of Good Friday, Jayne Cobb was standing at Main Street with a group from Covenant Mennonite Fellowship. 

However, they were just one of many denominations present for the Stations of the Cross walk. Cobb said the group likes to come out to be part of the event each year.

"I really enjoy being with people of different faiths anyway, and other Christians walking toward a single goal warms my heart," she said. She also noted the event's ethnic and gender balance of religious leaders.

The annual walk, held on Good Friday on Main Street, is part of a tradition that grew out of the processional route, the Via Dolorosa, in Jerusalem. 

Participants stop at 14 stations, each representing a part of the story of Jesus’ crucifixion.

This year was the event's 30th anniversary, since it was started by Church of the Redeemer, while it also marks 25 years of the Sarasota Ministerial Association conducting it alongside the church. 

The event regularly draws a turnout of about 1,000 people, and the Rev. Tom Pfaff, president of the Sarasota Ministerial Association, estimated that it had reached that mark again. 

Attendee AJ Scheip said the chance to be part of an event involving many people was an opportunity for spiritual growth. 

"We can receive grace, and we're able to build each other up, so I think that's the biggest thing for me is that I'm able to build myself up from other people," he said. "Iron sharpens iron, so when I find other people, that gives me more grace."

He said the No. 1 factor that drew him to the walk was the opportunity for "public witness," with the event taking place in a public setting outside local shops and restaurants. 

"Of course, it's Good Friday," he said. "There's that religious side, but there's the freedom side, to be able to practice."