Local foundation honored at Waxahachie college
An Olney charitable foundation was honored by a Waxahachie university on April 11 for donating funds for a sculpture by famed Christian sculptor Max Greiner Jr., who was inspired to create The Coming King Sculpture Garden in Kerrville. Southwestern Assemblies of God University held the dedication ceremony for the “Lion of Judah” sculpture to thank the L.F. and Carla Perry Foun- dation for the donation that brought the massive bronze statue to the campus.
Student Congress President Samantha Maxwell thanked Perry Foundation founder Carla Perry and foundation President Justin Piegat, who attended the noontime ceremony, for “this constant reminder that will be a beacon of hope and strength for generations to come.”
“Your contributions have made it possible to create a lasting symbol of hope and strength in Jesus - that He is the lion in the tribe of Judah for generations to come,” Ms. Maxwell said. “This statue represents not only a physical reminder of who Jesus is and the power and strength that he has but it is also a testament to the power of community and collaboration.”
Abby Cruz, president of the Southwestern Missions Association, thanked the foundation for donating “a symbol of courage, bravery, agility and dignity” “It reminds us of God’s faithfulness and the legacy we must live with,” she said of the statue. “When students like me pass this we will remember the strength and power our Savior Jesus Christ has bestowed on us. May we commit to doing acts to resound what the Lion of Judah has done.”
SAGU President Kermit Bridges remarked on the “remarkable gifts that God has bestowed on Max Greiner.”
“We want this lion to be a symbol that we serve a risen Savior and he is lord of this campus,” he said.
Mr. Greiner described his works as “symbols that point to God.”
“It’s okay to do art, to do writing, to do music but just lift it up the Lord at every opportunity, and he’ll use whatever you give him, you guys,” he said to students who attended the ceremony. Mr. Greiner explained that he created the lion by first carving it out of foam and then covering it with clay, which he sculpted, asking the Holy Spirit to make the work unique, he said. “It is five percent larger than the largest lion that ever lived “I added five percent for God .. and I also stylized it because I didn’t want this to be a fat, lay-aroundthe- house, lazy lion like you might see in some zoos,” he said. “I exaggerated the muscle tone and that’s because when people walked up to it I wanted them to see strength … a strong lion but its power under control.”
“I said, ‘God, would you make this lion look like the Messiah?’” he said. “Would you do something supernaturally so that when people look into the face they see the lion but they see deeper into the spirit?”
The first casting of “Lion of Judah” was donated to the people of Israel and sits in Jerusalem, he said. The SAGU lion is the second casting of that work, he said. The new sculpture joins three others by Mr. Greiner that adorn the SAGU campus - “The Divine Servant,” “Fisher of Men,” and “The Great Commission.”