JAY – A long-time vision has come to fruition for a couple at 227 Macomber Hill Road who have recently opened a worship site overlooking the western Maine mountains.
“It’s a place of prayer, enjoyment and peace of mind,” Beatrice Smith said.
Beatrice and her husband Ken bought the farm roughly two years ago, saying it was a gift given to them, though the couple solely supports the operation. The farmhouse sits on 33 acres of woods, mountains, fields and an orchard that boasts more than 50 fruit trees including apples, pears, plums and cherries. Beatrice said she plans to eventually offer the fresh fruit to anyone who is need of food and has taken classes on fruit tree management. Someday she hopes to open a soup kitchen.
Since moving to the land, Ken and Beatrice have not only learned to keep an orchard, they’ve cleared trees, built trails and landscaped the property- all while trying to stay warm in the 200-year-old house.
“It’s not about ‘we’. We’re just in the background,” Beatrice said.
The worship site includes a small chapel that was built before the couple arrived on Macomber Hill Road, along with a fire pit for visits on colder days and, the main attraction, a 24-foot-tall cross that lights up at night.
“My hope is that people will come here and feel the presence of heaven,” Beatrice said.
Photos that detail the acreage (currently buried in snow) show sunrises that command attention, perfectly arranged statues of angels and biblical characters, and the giant cross, which appears doubled in certain photos- an eerie ghost cross standing alongside the original. Another photo of the worship site, dated to mid-winter, shows budding flowers on nearby shrubs.
“Lots of things happen around here that are different,” Ken said.
The worship site is free and open to the public. For more information call the Smiths at 207-595-0865.
What a wonderful thing God has sent to the community
That cross will be an eyesore. Keep your religion to yourself.
@Sheri…give me a break.. *eye roll*
I live in the community and have to drive by it every day. It’s an attention seeking eyesore.
hey mon smokey here ya know , confident people don,t need huge reminders to keep them confident. I praise Jah Rasta but ya won’t see Smokey building a huge Rasta trap.
I think a guiding light at the top of the hill is a wonderful thing. Especially with the D.N.C. fighting for and giving it’s blessing for late term abortions,even to letting full birth babies die. God Bless America. Brent
Wow….some of these comments are just plain rude. Some people are so disrespectful. No wonder our country is falling apart. I think I will go there and pray for you all!!
Eyesore?????
With all the beautiful old churches around here the people that think this is an eyesore must have a really hard time driving anywhere.
If you don’t like the cross and worship something else it’s ok but why say such rude comments. I think its beautiful and I love my God
I don’t worship. And while I think that the cross is an eyesore since it is on private property I don’t really mind. I lived there in the area for 15 years and I am glad that someone is willing to put the work into the house and grounds that it needed.
I am with you, Carol and “Just Saying”. Thank God our constitution allows freedom of religion and freedom of speech. Unfortunately there are far too many people out there who think that freedom of speech gives them a license to be as rude and hurtful as possible to anyone they don’t agree with. These people need to learn how to be tolerant of others. Instead of keeping your religion or your cross to yourself maybe these people should learn to keep insults to themselves. Your comments don’t make you right. They just make you a jerk.
I think that if that is what they want to put there, it is their business, it probably looks better than a mess of junk hanging around. I will go see it sometime, but to each their own.
Egad!!! Another ‘in your face’ eyesore blighting the landscape in glorification to superstition.
Wow! The hate that just flows from some people. Shame on them. It just shows me how the devil is working through these fools and they only make themselves look stupid. God praise you and your family and the wonderful Christian people in our community. We all need these reminders. Don’t let the devil and his evil works affect you. It is a glorious thing you are doing and I love seeing that wonderful, lighted cross. A reminder to us all that Jesus died on the cross for us so that our sins can be forgiven. As a Christian and a person who praises God, I commend you. Note: I also noticed there is a lighted cross on Rt#17 in Livermore Falls that I pass each day and it is also beautiful!
From the Bible, book of 1st Corinthians, chapter 2:
17 For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
sorry, 1st Corinthians, chapter 1
@ FranklinCounty Citizen, Having an imaginary friend is one thing, but having an imaginary enemy is just over the top.
Sounds wonderful and inviting. Definitely want to visit and meet this couple!
Is the land and buildings still taxable?
To all the naysayers….”Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do”.
A lot of hate and discontent..sad..
Same as always,,
He Loved them,
They murder Him.
He Rose Again!!
And Loves Them Still.
There is a lit cross high on a mountain top in Quebec that I always enjoy seeing as we drive thru.
With all the drug o.d’s and suicides how sad to see how some people do not want any hope. We have hope, I am so glad I do. May GOD bless this great symbol.
We mock what we do not understand. Thank you Ken and Bea for making this available for interested parties to come visit.
I have family on Macomber Hill, so I go by this home often. The crosses are far back from the road, so, during the day, unless your NOT watching where you are going, they cannot be seen. At night, they are actually beautiful when lit. If all you disrespectful people who posted will read the whole story, you will see they have a lot more to offer then just the crosses. They have a trail, fruit trees that they will give the produce to those in need, there is a fire pit where you can just go and watch the sunrise or sunset. They also want to open a soup kitchen to those in need. They have improved the land, and made it free to the public to visit. As soon as the snow melts, I intend to visit, take a walk.. watch the sunset….and maybe….just maybe..say a little prayer for such a wonderful place to do so…
Fantastic.We all need reminding of what Christ did for all of us, even the haters and atheists.
I think it is disrespectful for people to make cruel comments about the cross. People have a right to worship freely in the US.
At the same time,people who praise the religious freedom and free speech in the US need to realize that free speech and religious freedom is not exclusive to Christians in the US. What if a Muslim family moved here and erected a large Minaret on a tall hill? Would people be supportive or angry?
Lets not forget that free speech comes with responsibilities and any symbol of a large proportion runs the risk of of being considered over the top and in your face to those who don’t share the same faith or beliefs or likes..
I was educated by nuns and they had this concept of humility in our approach to how we interacted with others in regards to our faith. The saying they used a lot was “They will know you are a Christian by the deeds you do, and not by your words”
.
In my mind, religious devotion is a private matter and the public matter is the good values form your religion in action. I agree that the large cross seems a bit much but I am sure the folks who put it up love their faith and feel a need to have a tangible expression of that. Not what I would do but as long as there are no zoning laws violated, they have the absolute right in the US to do this.
Remember, so do other faiths as well and we have to be tolerant of these.
At least the cmp line won’t light up at night.
Wonderful neighbors ! From the original Macomber Hill resident!!
Exodus 20:4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
Not only that, the cross is a symbol of torture and unbelievable suffering. Worship Jesus, not the cross that he was martyred on.
I have seen many of these lighted crosses in Quebec, and they look fantastic. Thank you for bringing it to our area!
My 1st knee jerk reaction to the negative comments and saying to “keep religion to yourself” is a very human one,,
I feel like lashing back, setting them straight,,proving them wrong.
But that’s the opposite of what Jesus taught us in word and action.
And then I remember,,I used to be exactly like them. Probably worse.
All I have to go on is what I know from personal experience.
God Loves Us All.
Therefore, I need to Love You as He Taught Us.
He Is Good.
To Jo Hoke,
Was there something said about anyone worshipping a cross?
Or, you just felt compelled to state something negative?
Just checked and nope,,, no one said anything about worshipping the cross.
Who is deceiving you?
You might wanna figure that out.
Yes, the ones in Quebec are beautiful.
Many many people will enjoy this for what it is.