‘Jesus in jeans’ in English church

In fact,the statue depicts Christ as wearing jeans and a shirt billowing in the wind while his hair and beard are neatly and fashionably trimmed.

“You are always looking for new ways to enrich people in the experience of Christianity and it is good people can be open-minded to appreciate it.

“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.

“We felt this design summed up the spirit and activity of Christ perfectly and I think it speaks for itself,” Father David Buckley,who unveiled the 35,000 pounds seven-foot high bronze statue,was quoted as saying.

In fact,the statue of Jesus Christ has been designed by Marcus Cornish,a famous sculptor. “The sculpture is simple and direct and I hope it sums up the feeling that Christ is always with us and that we are not to be afraid.

“His clothing is being blown vigorously to add the sense of him being alive and his strength in defying earthly cares. 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,” he said.