Annual Good Friday cross walk held in Upper Keys

Spirit & Truth Ministries Pastor Marlin Simon prepares to cross U.S. 1 to begin the annual cross walk on Good Friday. The larger cross Simon carries is about 57 pounds.

Upper Keys congregations gathered for the annual Good Friday cross walk on the morning of Friday, April 2. Following a prayer, a group departed from Spirit and Truth Ministries in Tavernier where Pastor Marlin Simon led the way. The walk headed north along U.S. 1 to Tavernier Towne and back to the church where a service followed. This was Simon’s 35th cross walk. Two wooden crosses, one weighing 57 pounds and the other 25 pounds, were carried by various individuals during the walk.

 

Jim McCarthy is one of the many Western New Yorkers who escaped the snow and frigid temperatures for warm living by the water. A former crime & court reporter and city editor for two Western New York newspapers, Jim has been honing his craft since he graduated from St. Bonaventure University in 2014. In his 4-plus years in the Keys, Jim has enjoyed connecting with the community. “One of my college professors would always preach to be curious,” he said. “Behind every person is a story that’s unique to them, and one worth telling. As writers, we are the ones who paint the pictures in the readers minds of the emotions, the struggles and the triumphs.” Jim is past president of the Key Largo Sunset Rotary Club, which is composed of energetic members who serve the community’s youth and older populations. Jim is a sports fanatic who loves to watch football, hockey, mixed martial arts and golf. He also enjoys time with family and his new baby boy, Lucas, who arrived Oct. 4, 2022.