HOLLAND, Mich. — If you drive along 40th Street in Holland, it's impossible to miss.
It's a brand-new mega mural, called Jesus in Holland, that includes a nod to the city's iconic landmarks tied in with religious symbolism.
“We’ve got imagery that represents Holland and its diversity and the beach and the channel and the Big Red and the windmill and all of that,” said Resurrection Life Church's Lead Pastor Joshua VanderKlok.
"Then we have here God's hands, reaching down, releasing this fiery dove, which represents the Holy Spirit.”
VanderKlok, who began working at the church right before the start of the pandemic, said he's wanted to cover the blank space on the side of the building with a mural for years.
“Suddenly, this went from covering up a blank wall to ... a tool to reach the community," he said.
The mural is 138 feet long and 16 feet tall. VanderKlok said he's been told it's the biggest one in Holland.
The artist, Jamie Luttrell, finished the vast majority of the mural in just two and a half weeks.
It includes an interactive component as well, with a 3D bench placed next to Jesus himself, so you can take a selfie with the Savior.
“When you take your picture, you'll see there's a QR code there," VanderKlok said. "That'll bring you to a website where you get some information about the mural. You can see pictures. We're inviting people to submit pictures that they took themselves, and if they'd like prayer, to send those prayer requests. That way our church body can be praying for people in the community. It's a way to stay engaged.”
VanderKlok said the community response so far has been "completely positive," even sharing a few people have broken down and cried.
"We've had people in tears when they come by," he said.
The mural is massive, but the message, he said, is simple: "God is inviting you to be engaged with him. He's present here in the city that we love.”