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A Florida pastor has reportedly replaced the Nativity scenes removed from a public library last week, defying municipal policy.
Rev. Mark D. Boykin and dozens of members of his Pentecostal Assemblies of God Church of All Nations delivered a crèche — a scene depicting the birth of Jesus Christ — to a city library in Boca Raton, Fla., on Tuesday, SunSentinel.com reports.
“Merry Christmas, everyone,” Boykin said. “Merry Christmas and God bless you all!”
Boykin is seeking to have city officials display a creche alongside a Hanukkah menorah on municipal property. In 2006, a part-time resident donated a crèche that was displayed at a city library, but was mysteriously missing two years later.
“After the holidays I was told you can’t display a creche anymore, [because] it’s a religious symbol,” William Lindner told the Web site. “I wrote to the city attorney and she said the menorah is a secular symbol.”
Deputy City Manager George Brown notified department heads last December that the city would no longer accept donated holiday decorations and that only city-owned material would be displayed, the Web site reports.
Undettered, Boykins and his followers delivered a crèche to the library on Dec. 17, but it was later removed. He has said he will file a lawsuit if the city is unwilling to alter its policy, the Web site reports.
Earlier this year, a memo to department heads notified officials that every public holiday display must consist only of a tree, a menorah and a “Seasons Greetings” or “Happy Holidays” sign.
Click here for more on this story from the Sun Sentinel.