After various delays and issues with buiding the new statue of Jesus at Solid Rock Church, the “Light of the World” statue is now set to be assembled in six to seven weeks.

Lightning struck the 8-ton, 62-foot Styrofoam and fireberglass “King of Kings” statue on June 14, 2010. The iconic symbol seen from Interstate 75 burned until only its frame was visable.

The day after it was struck and disappeard from the I-75 landscape, the Revs. Darlene and the late Lawrence Bishop said they would rebuild.

There have been a number of delays in trying to replace the statue that was called by many either “Touchdown Jesus” or “Big Butter Jesus.” The biggest reason the project is now more than a year behind schedule was one of the main contractors pulled out of the project, said Solid Rock Church Administrator Ron Carter.

The 50-foot “Light of the World” replacement — which will feature a water cascade at its base — was planned to be assembled this past week, but Carter said, “It took a little longer in engineering.”

When the statue is assembled, it will be brought to the church in pieces and could take a week to 10 days to assemble, he said.

The “Light of the World” statue was created by Cincinnati artist and sculptor Tom Tsuchiya, who created the statues of former Cincinnati Reds greats in front of Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati and Reds legend Joe Nuxhall at the Water Works Park in Fairfield. The “King of Kings” statue was designed by Dayton native and Nashville artist Brad Coriell and sculpted by James Lynch of Florida.

Global Manuaructuring Solutions in Dayton is nearly complete with shaping the polystyrene, which will be the core material in the statue. It’s the same type of material used in buildings, he said.

The polystyrene has a fire retardant in it, “so if lightning would strike it, it would put itself out; it probably will just melt a little,” Bankes said.

Once the polystyrne statue is carved — which should be in about a week — it will have a coating and it will be painted, he said.