Colossal Bible sculpture adorns Bronson lawn for holidays

Saturday, December 12, 2009
Located at 108 Bay St., Bronson, Kan., a 6-foot tall yard Bible is displayed. The instructions that Alan and Charlotte Stewart used to build the decoration claim it is the world's largest yard Bible. --Submitted Photo

BRONSON, Kan. -- "For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior which is Christ the Lord. Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, good will toward men. Luke 2:11,14."

That is the message displayed on one of the world's largest yard Bibles at the home of Bronson residents Alan and Charlotte Stewart.

Charlotte Stewart said she was looking for outdoor Christmas decorations on the Internet when she came across the instructions to build a yard Bible that is 6 feet tall and 8 feet wide. She said the instructions for the Bible provided by a man in Canada claim that it is the world's largest yard Bible.

Stewart said the Bible will fit well with her current outdoor decor, relaying messages that are true to the spirit of Christmas. She said her Victorian home is clad in icicle lights and accompanied with a horse and carriage and a nativity scene.

"I like stuff that is different and true to the meaning of Christmas ... you don't see Santa in my yard," she said.

The Stewarts built the Bible together by constructing the wooden frame then bending sheets of plywood to create the open book. Wainscoting was painted gold to give the look of the pages and a red velvet ribbon was placed in the center of the pages. Charlotte then painted the old English lettering by hand .

Charlotte said they struggled to bend the sheets of plywood and that her husband made many attempts to secure the sheets with screws leaving multiple holes in the sheets.

"I'd say, 'We really do have a Holy Bible,'" she said.

The project took the Stewarts about four weekends to complete.

"It was fun, it was a project we did together ... it means a lot to both of us," Stewarts said.

Stewart said the biggest benefit of the Bible is that it gets a message out to the community. She said many members of the community have stopped by to talk about the unusual decoration. However, one particular instance stands out in her heart. A man stopped by their home less than 30 minutes after they placed the Bible in the yard. The man told her and her husband that he had been fighting with his wife and was in a financial dispute with another individual.

"He said, 'I'm just not having a good day and I needed that, thank you,'" she said. "It is serving a purpose, we truly believe that it is."

The verse displayed on the Bible was suggested by the instructions and Stewart said that because it is "the Christmas verse" it was perfect. She said she would like to keep the Bible in their yard all year and change the message every day, but it would be too complicated.

"I wish in my heart of hearts that putting lettering on was very easy because I would change the message every day and never take it down ... but I can't," she said.

Stewart said she does plan to change the verse every year and that they could possibly build another Bible. However for the time being, she said the Bible will be put away after Christmas ... as soon as they get a shed to put it in because it is too big to fit in the attic.

The Stewarts live at 108 Bay St. in Bronson, and encourage people to drive by and see the Bible.

"If you get a chance, come to Bronson and take a look at it," Stewart said. "It really is amazing."