During the night of June 2, the Church of the Messiah near Belle Isle in Detroit was hit again by an all-too-common crime. Thieves returned to the church that had been hit before to strip the building of copper pipes, aluminum siding and other metals to sell for scrap.

But this night, they cross the line. They lifted the green-tinted Jesus off the church’s exterior wall and carried it away, probably thinking the plaster icon was made of copper.

For Messiah Priest Barry Randolph and dozens of Messiah parishioners, the search was on. Within 48 hours, a neighborhood woman discovered the eight-foot-tall statue and called the church, but not before the story went viral and was picked up around the world.

Randolph thinks he knows why the story captured a corner of the media market.

“When the Houston Chronicle said ‘Woman finds Jesus in alley,’” Randolph said, “it’s was true. Where would Jesus be? He would be in all these strange places, and we need to also be in all these strange places.

“If Jesus Christ came back, he would be in the neighborhood of Messiah, not up on the cross; he would be working in the neighborhood,” Randolph said, recounting a conversation he had with his brother.

“This is giving us the opportunity to spread the good news to people who ordinarily would not have stopped to listen,” Randolph said. “Because Jesus was stolen off of the cross, they are listening and learning more about not only Church of the Messiah but the Episcopal Church and what it is we are doing in the city.”

The story of the stolen Jesus isn’t over, even though the statue is now back at the church. The attention on the soaring problem of urban thief of metals—copper, aluminum, housing material and auto parts—is a multi-million dollar criminal network.

Under the direction of Randolph and Brian Gregg (the church’s Community Relation Director), the Church of the Messiah has launched Citizens United for Safety (C.U.F.S.) and will hold a town hall meeting on Friday, July 11. Scores of local business and city government leaders have announced their intention to attend.

Texas-based Metro PCS indicated the corporation plans to send a representative. Metro PCS told Randolph that Detroit has their highest theft rate, a crime wave that cost 1 million dollars over three months to repair wires.

“We have to solve this problem of theft, vandalism and crime that is not only in the city of Detroit, but he surrounding area,” Randolph underscored. “In an very odd way, Jesus Christ is a catalyst for galvanizing the community and bringing people together who wouldn’t ordinarily come together.”