Jacob Riley
AFA Journal/The Stand intern
November 2017 – The nativity scene erected in Racine, Wisconsin, this Christmas is “designed to give praise, honor, and glory publicly to our Lord God and His Son Jesus Christ,” according to lifelong city resident Bob Wortock. The 40-foot nativity will be on display December 9-January 6.
Wortock told AFA Journal that the Community Christmas Coalition, which he founded in 2004, exists to unify the city through the simple symbolic emblem of a public nativity scene.
“It’s our First Amendment right to be able to openly express any religion,” Wortock said. This right was ingrained in Wortock as he grew up during a time when festive Christmas displays filled his city, and “people could talk openly, and we could share our heritage and beliefs, and there was never a problem.”
Symbols expunged
That changed in the 1960s. Banners and displays were removed, and Racine went 40 years without religious symbols on public property.
Then in 2004, Wortock worked for 10 months to gain a permit to set up a nativity on Racine’s Monument Square. After months of rejection, the Common Council approved the permit when Wartock brought a list of 16 local churches that supported the project.
“I believed this would help unify people, and that others could put up their expression of faith, and people could talk and be open and not have this political correctness where you dare not say something that might offend anybody,” Wortock explained.
What began as a 4x4 foot display has grown into a 40-foot nativity scene with two light-pole banners. The first year, over 500 people from the area visited the display. The number has grown to thousands across the years, according to Wortock.
As the project has grown, God continues to cover the annual needs. Each year, He brings almost the exact amount to meet the $2,500 annual budget for fees and other expenses.
“The nativity display is truly a community endeavor,” Wortock emphasized. For example, one generous person stores the display while it is not in use; three electricians have modified and improved the electricity; one company built some of the buildings used in the scene, and another donated a trailer.
One year, the nativity scene was destroyed by gusts of wind. Children at a local Christian elementary school pooled resources from their piggy banks and raised $300 to help restore the display.
“We rely on a core of loyal senior citizen volunteers to put up, maintain, and store the nativity,” Wortock said.
The best examples of perseverance in standing for Christian values and religious liberty are often those who work unnoticed in the context of their own communities. Wortock and friends are prime examples of that principle. None of the Racine volunteers seek recognition.
“We are determined that there is no ‘naming right’ for the nativity,” Wortock stated. His sole desire is “that it continues as a symbol of hope and encouragement to the entire community of Christians and non-Christians everywhere.” 
CHRISTMAS IN CITY SQUARE
Celebrating Christmas publicly is an expression of Christian faith and a long-held seasonal tradition. In an often hostile and secular environment, reminding people of the birth of Christ opens the door for conversations about the origins of Christmas.
To learn more about erecting a nativity scene in your community, visit nativityhelp.org. Here you’ll find examples for public Christmas displays as well as legal explanations of First Amendment rights to recognize the historical reason for celebrating Christmas in the public square.
