SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) - A church in central Springfield honors homicide victims from Greene and Christian counties with a memorial display on its lawn.

University Heights Baptist Church placed 19 white crosses on its property to serve as a reminder of lives lost and the impact of violence. Each cross bears the name of someone who died by homicide in the past year.

“Part of what we want to do here is care for people, honor their lives, but then also just shine a spotlight on violence and what happens when violence becomes cyclical and it just gets out of control,” said Senior Pastor Nolan Porter. “And sometimes we don’t really realize the impact of it until we see it all together like we do behind it.”

The church sits at the corner of National Avenue and Grand Street, across from the Mi

See Full Page