Church Wants Jesus in Jeans to Connect with Community

Christian Today reports that a Catholic church in Uckfield, England, is determined to show that Jesus is relevant today -- with a new statue of a modern day Jesus wearing jeans. "On the continent you often encounter modern representations of Jesus but it is not so common over here. We wanted a figure of Christ not in suffering but dynamic and welcoming," said Father Buckley, the parish priest of Our Lady Immaculate and St Philip Neri Catholic church. The seven-foot, £35,000 bronze statue will be placed 100 feet high on the bell tower. "The clothing is loosely contemporary in order to connect Christ to his people now as much as to his past. I hope this sculpture will inspire and communicate in very human terms, reaching out and being relevant to both the congregation and local community."