The Jackson Clinic-Baptist Outpatient Campus in Jackson, Tennessee, recently held a Prayer Cross Dedication Ceremony. The ceremony provided a meaningful moment to pause, reflect and pray for strength and comfort. Rev. Anthony Burdick, system director of pastoral care for Baptist, led the effort to add the prayer cross.
“We are grateful for Rev. Burdick and all colleagues who helped make this special gift possible in Jackson,” said Chaplain Michael Dennison, director of pastoral care for Baptist Memorial Hospital-Union City and Baptist Memorial Hospital-Carroll County. “The prayer cross serves as a symbol of hope, healing and unity for all who walk through our doors. We hope this cross will continue to provide peace and solace for those facing challenges and remind us of the incredible support within the Baptist Memorial community.”
The prayer cross is designed for team members, physicians and visitors to submit prayer requests to Baptist’s pastoral care team. The facility provides colored strips of paper and pens that people can use to write their prayer requests. Slits in the cross house the requests until the pastoral care team prays over them.
A number of Baptist entities have prayer crosses. The tradition started when Mississippi Baptist Health System (MBHS) leaders gave Baptist Memorial Hospital-Memphis a prayer cross soon after MBHS and Baptist Memorial Health Care entered into a shared mission agreement in 2017. Since then, a number of Baptist Memorial hospitals and other Baptist Memorial Health Care facilities have added prayer crosses in their lobbies.
