Opinion: Why a Florida church created a crèche with no Jesus

Editor’s Note: The United Church of Gainesville in Gainesville, Florida, set up a crèche on Sunday with no Mary, Joseph, or Jesus. Instead, a sign reads, “ICE was here.” In doing so, they join churches around the country making this kind of faith statement with their public-facing nativity scenes. The Rev. Donna Schaper, interim minister at UCC Gainesville, provides the following reflection on how the congregation has been responding to the presence of ICE in their communities and what led them to create this crèche.

We began with a relationship with the local human rights and immigrant rights protection organization, the very powerful local Rural Women’s Health Project. It serves four counties in North Central Florida, the place where we acknowledge our land. First, we tried a hurricane shelter for those in substandard housing who were afraid to leave their homes, because of ICE’s expansion and hiring of state troopers in Florida. 30 breadwinners were deported in early November from a Home Depot parking lot. Wearing masks, they showed no mercy. But maybe they didn’t know they were leaving behind 30 women, five of whom were pregnant and most of whom had at least three children. The men were sent to Alabama to a detention center and not all of their whereabouts are yet known.

We had no hurricanes this year. So, we moved into other areas. 70 people from our 600-member congregation were trained to be support for the shelter when/if a storm came. Then the congregation began to deliver food to the homes of those left behind. Many were not willing to go out or send their children to school. Some helped people do the legal work for foster parents. Others adopted a family.

Training, preparing

We had a constant internal conversation about the work of justice and the work of mercy. Mercy had a win in these conversations at first. Now we are training up for accompaniment, whistle-blowing, and monitoring ICE visits, as they ramp up, which is forecast for January. Rural Women’s Health Project is training us. The main training is what we all call “Cultural Competency” – don’t act like you know what you don’t know. Also, we are learning the art of ‘fight, flight, fawn, or fake.’

We are also at the school board meetings where the school board has yet to decide to challenge ICE in its interest in coming into schools and taking children. Most parents can’t even get a friend to pick up their child without extensive security checks. What? ICE can come into our schools, frighten all the children and steal some? 

I had to explain to 13-year-old yesterday: ‘Pastor, why do you have 40 whistles in this bowl?’ Her mother, also our pastor, immediately saw how frightened her child was and moved in with a full, honest explanation.

‘We are the body of Jesus’

Along came Christmas and news from many places around the country that people were putting the Christ back into Christmas. How? By building crèches which told the story through the figures of the manger: Mary and Jesus, refugees, going for their ICE check-in, the place where they paid taxes. Wise men noticing. Shepherds noticing. But ICE has stolen the baby. Take the baby out of the picture and you state your theology. If ICE hurts any oppressed person, it is hurting Jesus.

It is not just hurting a hardworking man or a hardworking family, or their children. It is hurting Jesus. We are the body of Jesus. They are hurting us too, literally stealing our Jesus.

Glenn Terry, member and former grand master of the Mango Parade in Miami and now grand master of the Flying Pigs parade in Gainesville, which happens Jan. 3, put up the crèche. He is a master artist, former teacher of art and knows how to get things done. Both of us pastors, together, checked with our moderator, who put his thumbs up, and our ministerial relations board, and they put their thumbs up.

‘Theology on the front lawn’

On Sunday Dec. 22, as the congregation filed in for a lively “Cozy Christmas” service, one abruptly started crying when she saw it. (I was standing guard.) Another said, “I am proud to be a member of this church.” An Amazon man stopped his truck and took a picture. I asked him why he wanted the picture. “To show my wife, this is great.”

The congregation clapped as the announcement about the crèche was made. It’s early. There will be complaints. Commitment is not convenient or risk-free.

For now, we have put the Christ back in Christmas and stated our theology on our front lawn.

The Rev. Donna Schaper serves as interim minister at UCC Gainesville in Florida.

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