62-Foot Jesus Along
I-75 Gaining Giant Attention
Visitors Flocking to Solid Rock Church.
When motorists on I-75 see the 62-foot statue of Jesus alongside the highway, many have the same reaction, News 5's Emily Longnecker reports.
It's called stunned disbelief.
"It just makes you, it's like 'Wow,' " said Stephanie Nevels of Fairfield. Yeah. Like Wow.
Tiffany Williams has been hearing about the statue since it was put up outside Solid Rock Church.
"It kind of took my breath away. I was just like, 'Oh my goodness,' " Williams said. "I had no idea it would be that big."
It's big alright...and it cost a whole lot of Simoleons.
The giant messiah is gaining giant attention from newspapers and magazines across the country. One travel website calls it "Super Savior."
Church officials say the styrofoam and fiberglass Jesus is the largest one in America. Thank you Solid Rock Church...you make Ohio proud. The torso-up sculpture has a 42-foot span between upraised hands, and a 40-foot cross at the base. This stance which some may call "arms raised to praise the father"...to me more so resembles the referee sign for "touchdown".
And people are flocking to see it, says Mike Trent, who works at the BP gas station down the street. ...because they can't believe that people have nothing else better to do with their money / time and have to see it for themselves.
"They're asking for directions to Solid Rock and there's been quite a few of them," Trent said.
"I've been a lot of places, never seen anything like it. It makes an impact just driving down the road," said Calvin Bostic of Dayton.
"I love it. I think it makes a statement," said Lashawn Moore Bostic.
But the big statue isn't a big hit with everyone.
"I do go to church. I just think it's a waste of money," Williams said. "It could be going to better causes." Word. World hunger, medical assistance, childcare funding... No, No, No. Giant Jesus is much more important.
The giant Jesus will soon draw even more attention, Longnecker reports.
Solid Rock plans to put a spotlight on the statue.
"I didn't know it would get this much national attention," said Lawrence Bishop, co-founder of Solid Rock Church. "We weren't trying to impress people, we were just trying to help people." Mhmmm...methinks this is the beginnings of a guilty conscience. What does the Bible say about the showing of ones means?
...
The 4,000-member, nondenominational evangelical church was founded by the former horse trader and his wife, Darlene, who also has a ministry. Translation: We are trying to get more people to our church to pay for this blasted thing and still make a profit.
Bishop said his wife first proposed the Jesus figure as a beacon of hope and salvation. Together, they formed the plan for their "King of Kings" statue and spent about $250,000 to finance it.
"We're living in a day when a lot of people feel hopeless, but we believe that when people see him, they will understand he is the hope for the world," Darlene Bishop said. Because a 62-foot Jesus will help remind those that lost Jesus to find him once again...all because of that $250,000 well spent. Rock on, brother.
The real kicker:
The I-75 exit near the statue is marked by a Hustler of Hollywood sign for one of Larry Flynt's largest adult stores and a billboard for Bristol's Show Club & Revue adult club that features a lingerie-clad woman.
The statue "is a pleasant change of atmosphere from what was being projected," Bishop said.
Honestly, this picture doesn't do it justice. In person it's way better. It's just freaking huge. I wish I had a picture of the actual porn mall down the road that they are referring to...and the 100 foot cross in front of the church that sits beside it. Evidently, they were following the trend.
Here is what the real unedited story would have been:
" They put up a porn store billboard beside our church and we showed them. We built us a 62-foot high Jesus, dangit. The bigger the better. That's what we always say. Now come to our church so we can pay for this thing. "
Yeah...you know that whole "do not worship idols" thing? That is in the Bible for kicks. God didn't really mean that...oh wait...he only meant that UNLESS it is a statue of JEEEEESUS....yeah.
That's it.
I still say he's celebrating the OSU game...Jesus style.
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