They didn’t wear crowns of thorns, but they hope they got their message across.

To mark Jesus Christ’s crucifixion, members of Castle Christian and First Christian churches walked with a cross through downtown Cumming on Good Friday.

Some took turns shouldering its 75-pound weight.

Jason Rodenbeck, minister of Castle Christian, said this is the second year his church has held the event. His congregation spent last month collecting food for First Christian’s food bank.

He said last year they raised about $2,500 for an Atlanta organization that builds housing for homeless people.

“This year we decided to keep it a little closer to home and raised food for a sister church that’s involved in serving the community with us,” Rodenbeck said.

Rodenbeck said the walk and food drive were ways to reach out to the community.

“Easter is the time where we think about Jesus and his sacrifice and his victory and resurrection,” he said.

“We believe very strongly that Jesus calls us to bear our cross too. And that means we love our neighbors, we love our enemies and we want to bear our cross for the community.”