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MONROE — Construction work will resume this week on the “Light of the World” statue at Solid Rock Church after a winter hiatus.
The frame that will support the new statue has been the only thing Interstate 75 motorists have seen outside of Solid Rock Church, 904 N. Union Road, since construction was halted for the winter months.
Church Administrator Ron Carter said Monday crews will begin this week to install the water feature that will be at the base of the planned 50-foot statue. The statue, being designed by Cincinnati-area artists Tom Tsuchiya and Steve Brauch, will replace the “King of Kings” statue that burned following a lightning strike on June 14, 2010.
“There will be stones that will be stacked up so water will cascade down,” said Carter, adding there will three flows of water that will filter over the rocks.
Carter said the project is about a year behind schedule, primarily because one of the main contractors pulled out of the project.
“That probably set us back the most,” he said. “We had planned to have this done last summer, so it’s been almost a year.”
Carter said after the water feature is installed, “there will be several weeks of what will look like inactivity, but that work will be done off site.”
A religious symbol, whether it is a cross or a statue, is “a vehicle of expression” to the public, said Miami University religion professor James Hanges.
“It says something about them,” he said. “It has something to do with the self-presentation and their self-identity.”
Hanges said the positioning of the statue is also more inviting where the church “wants to communicate a sense of welcome to the outsider.”
Carter said the statue helps raises awareness of Christianity.
“The statue, including the first statue, was our church’s attempt to make the community more aware of Jesus,” he said. “Every time (motorists) pass that statue, it’s a reminder of what Jesus has meant for them.”
Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2175 or michael.pitman@coxinc. com. Follow at
mdpitman.
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