Sprint PCS - Savior in Chicago?

[Kenny]

Signals from above
By Natasha Korecki Daily Herald Staff Writer
Posted on September 30, 2002

To Christians, the cross is a symbol of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

A proposal to transform that symbol atop a Methodist church in Schaumburg, however, is grounded in a more secular belief: good cellular reception.

Sprint PCS has offered to pay Our Redeemer's Methodist Church an undisclosed amount of money to encase a cellular antenna inside the church cross, which towers atop the house of worship.

Called a "stealth" antenna, Sprint will replace the church's present cross with a new fiberglass one that has the antenna built inside.

The church is at Springinsguth and Schaumburg roads.

It's a new twist on a growing trend called "stealthing" used by cellular companies to locate antennas where they can improve the signal, said Mark McHale, regional communications director for Sprint PCS wireless division.

A church cross is the latest stealth tactic, but they've already found places inside flagpoles, high school football stadium lights and, in some parts of the United States, inside evergreen trees, McHale said.

If the deal goes through, the Schaumburg cross would go up sometime next year, becoming what McHale believes would be the first of its kind in the Chicago area.

The new cross will be the same height as the existing cross, but 6 inches wider. It would also give the church a little facelift, as the current metal cross is beginning to show signs of rust.

The antenna is 12 inches long, but would be built inside the new cross -- invisible to passers-by. Graphite would allow for the signals to be transmitted.

Sprint would also pay to lease a small space adjacent to the church building for a brick-enclosed bay station, equipment needed on the site.

Why did Sprint go after this particular church?

"That location and that site helps extend the network coverage in Chicago," McHale said. "If you want to build it over from Chicago to Aurora, we needed a site there to continue with the coverage in Schaumburg."

Church leaders were intrigued by the idea because Sprint is offering to replace the old cross and pay money besides -- revenue needed for church programs.

However, the Rev. Bill Shaw, senior pastor at Our Redeemer, said the deal is not set in stone.

Church leaders signed a contract with Sprint more than a year ago, but as the company took a second look at how it would fit into its cellular network, it expired. Now Sprint is showing interest again, and Schaumburg planning officials say the plans could go before the board as early as this fall.

The church's initial decision over whether to allow the placing of an antenna inside a cross wasn't an easy one. Church members voted in favor of the antenna only after a long discussion, Shaw said.

"There were practical concerns as well as theological," he said.

Driving the decision was bringing more money to church programs, Shaw said.

"It would bring funds for the ministry. That's a big part of what we do, we do ministry," he said.

The fact that the antenna would bring funds to the church is an appealing point in its favor, said Linda Rhodes, director of communications for the Northern Illinois Conference of the United Methodist Church.

Rhodes said she wishes her church in Naperville would take that route.

"My personal opinion is it's smart," she said. "Nobody said Christians are supposed to check their brains at the door."

"(The cross) is a symbol, it is not sacred in and of itself. There is all kinds of steel, cement and brick holding up the cross. This is just another piece of metal."

From a larger community perspective, the stealth antenna is a nicer-looking alternative to cellular towers, said Schaumburg planner Tom Farace. With cell phones continuing to increase in popularity and numbers, and residents commonly complaining about unsightly cell towers, the stealth antennas are a good substitute.