“MERRY CHRIST-MAS!”
by Sharon Rondeau
(Dec. 7, 2016) — The Post & Email has just learned that at 11 AM on Wednesday, a live reenactment of the Nativity story of the birth of Jesus will take place across from the US Supreme Court building, as it has for the past six years.
The Nativity scene is sponsored by faithandaction.org, a nonprofit, Christian organization based in Washington, DC and will include “exotic” animals and a live baby.
A member of the group states in a video that the purpose of the reenactment is to “to let everyone know the true meaning of Christmas.”
Photos of the event will be posted on Twitter and on their website, which has photos from past Nativity events. The organization’s Facebook page has live streaming as of 11:07 a.m.
In a newsletter received just minutes ago, FaithandAction’s Rev. Rob Schenck wrote of the undertaking:
All this takes an enormous amount of work. To hold this unforgettable CHRIST-mas event here on Capitol Hill, we must:
- Carefully prepare, clean, and sometimes repair the elaborate costumes worn by the actors
- Recruit & train dozens of volunteer support staff
- Arrange for special permits for exotic animals—including arranging vaccinations and health certifications
- Secure vehicle clearances and parking areas
- Arrange for clergy from different denominations
- Hire a sign interpreter for the hearing impaired
- Procure sound system and operator
- Enlist a singer to lead Christmas caroling
- And . . . Yup . . . place a lawyer on standby in case we’re sued!