Pittsfield 4th of July Parade committee will not allow the cross to be carried in the 2009 parade.

The Pittsfield 4th of July Parade committee has accepted the proposal of the Berkshire Revival Fires Pastors to march in the 2009 parade, but without the cross.  Below are the original proposal, the Parade Committee's response, the Pastors response and reactions from some of the Pastors.

Dear Peter and the Parade Committee:

We thank each one of you for taking your time to meet with the Berkshire Revival Fires pastors to discuss our entry in the 2009 parade.

We appreciate the fact that you are all volunteering your time all year round to put together the Fourth of July parade.

Upon discussion with the pastors Thursday, we are withdrawing our application to march in the Fourth of July parade in 2009. You have listened to our reasons why we feel we cannot compromise on having the cross in our lineup. We feel that if we do away with the cross, it is doing away with who we are and why we are in existence.

To all,
  Well it's official, The Parade committee voted the Cross out of the 4th of July Parade in Pittsfield Ma.. It was welcome in Red Square in Moscow and around the World but not in Pittsfield Mass U.S.A... The "new" America no longer stands for freedom of speech and religion, but they want freedom from religion and free speech... This is truly a sad day!!!!! God Help us!!
 

Rick Newton
The Man with the Cross

Ken Brelsford

Pittsfield, MA 01202-0943

Dear Pastors, Sponsors and Believers,

            The Pittsfield Parade Committee has decided to not allow a 12-foot cross to be in the 2009 Parade. The cross was allowed to be in the 2008 Parade. The cross can be seen in last years photo gallery at; http://www.pittsfieldparade.com/page.php?PageID=238&PageName=Photo+Gallery

The picture on that web site that is the ninth one down from the top on the right is a picture of the float that carried the 12-foot cross. Any one individual did not carry the cross, but it was part of the parade float.

This cross is one of only two crosses that have traveled around the world. You can read and see more about this cross in particular at; http://rncrosscarrier.org/ The Smithsonian has requested for this cross to be donated to the museum when Pastor Rick’s story is told in its entirety.

            In a time when the city of Pittsfield has seen an exponential growth increase in violent crime, the cross is needed now more than ever to let the city know that there is hope. There are 15 area churches that are participants in the parade float.

            It is possible, the parade committee is using this for some type of publicity stunt to gather and draw attention to the parade. If that is true, we say the more people that see and feel the power that it invokes in the human spirit, then so be it. The scriptures say ; For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (1^st Corinthians 1:18 NKJV) It is also a time when we need to be intolerant of being tolerant to all the things in the world that have drawn our attention away from the principles that our founding fathers used to birth one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all! 

            This letter and many others like it will be sent and distributed freely to the media both at the local and National level. United we will stand and divided we will fail.

                                                In HIS Grip,

                                                            Ken Brelsford

The Mission House, Stockbridge

Mount Greylock from Hoosac Valley High School             

Stockbridge Bowl