Giant Jesus makes many stop
By Michael D. Clark
Enquirer staff writer
'KING OF KINGS' STATUE
• Standing 62 feet high, with a 42-foot span between the hands, the Solid Rock Church's dramatic statue of Jesus rises out of the ground on the eastern side of Interstate 75 in Monroe.
• Completed in August, the statue will soon be lit by spotlights at night, making it even more visible to passing motorists.
• Church officials say their "King of Kings" statue, which is made of Styrofoam and fiberglass over a steel skeleton, is the largest in America; but Eureka Springs, Ark., claims to have a 67-foot Jesus statue. That statue, however, is largely a tower base and is of smaller scale overall compared to Solid Rock's Messiah, which is a torso-up sculpture. The "King of Kings" also features a 40-foot cross at its base.
• The statue cost about $250,000.
Rising dramatically out of the earth at Solid Rock Church, a 62-foot-tall statue of Jesus gazes toward the heavens with hands open, thrusting high. The visually stunning sight of what's billed as America's largest Jesus statue soon will draw more attention to Monroe, as church officials prepare to light up the six-story-tall religious figure each night.
Since its construction in August, the giant Messiah has become a nationally noted roadside attraction. Newspapers, magazines and travel Web sites have featured it, including one that dubbed it "SuperSavior." It's also turned one of Greater Cincinnati's largest churches - about 4,000 regularly flock to the nondenominational evangelical church in Warren County - into something of a tourist attraction.
"I didn't know it would get this much national attention," Solid Rock Pastor Lawrence Bishop said. "We weren't trying to impress people, we were just trying to help people."
Some locals have grumbled about tackiness or a highway hazard from gawking motorists, but others welcome the spiritual icon and the attention it draws.
Brad Leach, 60, has seen a lot while driving trucks across America for 37 years. But this made an impression.
"I thought I had seen everything there was to see in America from the road, but I never saw anything like that," Leach said during a recent roadside break in Monroe. "I'm not a holy roller, but I think America needs more things like that."
The giant Messiah, which also features a 40-foot cross at its base, is clearly visible on the eastern side of I-75 just north of the Ohio 63 interchange. Bishop's wife and co-founder of the church, Darlene, first brought up the idea, said Bishop, and they formed the plan for their "King of Kings"statue. They have spent about $250,000 to finance it.
The statue is featured on www.roadsideamerica.com (under the "Electric Map" section).
Darlene Bishop said the Jesus figure was built near the highway to act as a beacon of hope and salvation.
"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," she said.
The church has received hundreds of e-mails from I-75 motorists and truckers from all over America and Canada. Some credit the sight with rekindling their religious spirit. So many have stopped by the Solid Rock campus that church officials had to scramble to build a walkway to accommodate visitors.
"Some people like it, and some don't; but it does get people's attention. It makes you direct your thoughts to God whether you think the statue is neat or not," said Paul Stone, a long-time Solid Rock member from Wilmington, Ohio.
Judy Grant, manager of Sara Jane's restaurant just off the Monroe interchange, worries that too many motorists will slow down to look.
"You see people hit their brakes along that part of I-75 every day. I think the church should have sized it down," said Grant, who drives past the church on her way to work. The church obtained a building permit from Monroe for the statue.
Lt. Michael Sanders of the Lebanon post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol said there has been no increase in accidents. The Monroe highway exit also 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 Jesus statue "is a pleasant change of atmosphere from what was being projected," Lawrence Bishop said.
Monroe resident MichelePhilpot said she isn't a big fan of the statue but is pleased to see the ambiance interchange tip a bit more toward spirituality. "It kind of evens things out against the Hustler store and Bristol's," Philpot said.
Jimmy Flynt, brother of Larry and president of Hustler Enterprises, said there is plenty of room in the small city of Monroe for both his adult-oriented store and Solid Rock Church's giant statue.
"Lawrence Bishop has his business going on here, and I have my business going on here, and that's the beauty of America," Flynt said.
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