Giant Jesus statue dedicated at Ohio church

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MONROE, Ohio, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- The congregation at Solid Rock Church in Monroe, Ohio, dedicated a 51-foot statue of Jesus between the church and Interstate 75.

The statue, called "Lux Mundi," is a replacement for the "Touchdown Jesus" statue, formally known as "King of Kings," which was stuck by lightning June 15, 2010, and burned to the ground, the Dayton Daily News reported.

The new statue was installed in pieces in the last few weeks, and was completed Sept. 19. The formal dedication took place Sunday evening at the church.

"This has been a long time coming," said church administrator Ron Carter. "It's finally nice to be at this point."

Sculptor Tom Tsuchiya received a standing ovation from the crowd.

"The inspiration of Jesus is larger than life," he said. "His message is larger than life, so how fitting it is to honor him with a sculpture that is larger than life."

"Lux Mundi" was designed to be more fire resistant than the previous statue, officials said.