MONROE, Ohio - Bigger, better - and fireproof.
That's the type of Jesus statue that Darlene Bishop hopes will replace the 62-foot-tall foam and fiber glass "King of Kings" sculpture that burned to the ground after lightning struck it late Monday.
Ms. Bishop, co-pastor of the sculpture's home, Solid Rock Church along I-75, said the $700,000 fire, while an upsetting mess, has wrought blessings, too - including worldwide publicity.
"I think he [Jesus] couldn't have gotten this much advertising if we had paid a billion dollars," she said yesterday.
Ms. Bishop disagrees with people who lit up Internet comment boards suggesting - either jokingly or seriously - that the lightning strike could have been a sign that God disapproved of the statue. During the statue's six years in front of the church, "he's weathered a lot of storms," Ms. Bishop said.
The traffic-stopping fire struck just before the church was to begin repainting the statue. Because of insurance coverage, "Now we get to build a whole brand-new one, paid-for," Ms. Bishop said. "We are blessed."
The statue was erected in 2004 at a cost of $250,000.
The much-debated local icon was known by nicknames ranging from "Big Butter Jesus" because of its yellowish, lumpy texture, to "Touchdown Jesus," because its outstretched arms resembled a referee's signal for a touchdown.
Flames consumed the statue, leaving only a charred metal skeleton. A reflection pool surrounding the statue was afloat with dead fish and burnt debris yesterday. The blaze also caused $400,000 damage to an adjacent music theater, destroying most of its roof and damaging costly audio and electrical systems, fire officials said.
But the church's nearby home for 23 battered, pregnant, or homeless women was unscathed, Ms. Bishop said. She said she consoled its residents and told them, "Jesus took a hit for you today, girls."
Ms. Bishop said she's just grateful no one was injured.
The materials used in the Jesus statue ignited rapidly after lightning struck, Fire Chief Mark Neu said, because of flammable gases that Styrofoam-type materials emit after a fire starts.
People getting out of their cars on the interstate made safety crews worry that someone would be hurt or killed in a crash. Troopers from the State Highway Patrol issued dozens of warnings, urging motorists to move along.
First Published June 16, 2010, 9:51 a.m.
