Akron City in Ohio
Description
Akron is a city in Ohio. It’s home to Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens, with a Tudor Revival manor house, a conservatory and landscaped grounds. The Akron Art Museum displays modern pieces, including pop art and photos, in an 1899 building with a dramatic glass and steel addition. To the north, Hale Farm and Village offers a glimpse of life in the 19th century, with 32 restored buildings, plus gardens and farm animals.
Ask Akron to honor the forerunner of Christ
Akron is a city that has remade itself more than once, and its skyline still marks a place of work, neighborhoods, and civic memory. We believe there is room in that public memory for John the Baptist. He was not a celebrity in the modern sense. He was a preacher of repentance who made a straight path for Jesus and then stepped aside: “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). That humility is rare, and it is worth teaching in public.
A John the Baptist Boulevard in Akron would be a simple civic honor with a spiritual purpose. Cities already name roads for people they believe should be remembered. John prepared the way of the Lord, preached in the wilderness, and announced the One who would baptize “with the Holy Ghost, and with fire” (Matthew 3:11). The name on a sign would give ordinary commuters a chance to remember that call—to turn from sin, and to look to Christ—without anyone having to stop and give a speech.
We are not asking Akron to favor one congregation over another. We are asking its mayor and council to add a clear Christian witness to the map. A well-traveled route is enough. If the street happens to lead toward water, the geography will quietly echo John’s own ministry, but the request does not depend on that.
If Akron is your home, you can write the mayor, share this request with a Sunday school class or a neighbor, and start a local petition. For help with wording or next steps, reach John Arwood at (904) 305-7534 or [email protected].