Religious Painting Replica Placed Near John Glenn High School

Community members gathered for a sign dedication in the Village of New Concord Tuesday afternoon.

Last year we told you about controversy involving a painting of The Good Shepherd. It hung in John Glenn High School for 40 years in memory of a teacher and was recently removed from the premises in 2013 due to pressure from the ACLU. Tuesday, a sign picturing the painting was placed at the corner of John Glen School Road and Friendship Drive. Jeanette Moll told us it took the whole community to make it possible.

"We had about over two dozen donors, individuals, businesses and churches that contributed to the project and that brought us here today."

The home where the signage resides belongs to Terry and Cathy Hodgsons. There were a number of opposing views as to what to do with the image, so Moll said the sign was a compromise.

"We have the first amendment right that’s protected to freedom of speech and freedom of religion. We’re on private property with a privately donated project that was all done by private individuals and so we were able to preserve the history of that sign and the faith and the message that it shows."

The original painting resides in the home church of the teacher it was dedicated to. The new sign is expected to last about a decade before repairs will be needed.