A Claremont church known for its politically charged nativity sets is using the iconic Christmas scene to remind the community to come together in the face of social and political divisiveness.
For more than 15 years, Claremont United Methodist Church has used the set in front of its building to draw attention to social justice issues such homelessness, the environment, the Black Lives Matter movement and what it sees as the poor treatment of immigrants.
In 2013, the church’s nativity set received national attention for replacing baby Jesus with Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old African American student who was fatally shot in 2012.
This year, the scene has a fabric backdrop showing a patchwork of hands in different colors overlapping to push together a tear in the fabric. The rift looks as if it is being sewn shut. At the top are the words “Bring Us Together O Creator.” Statues of Mary and Joseph and a small crib with a baby Jesus stand in front.
The nativity scene is expected to be up through the middle January in front of the church, at 211 W. Foothill Blvd.
“Our church has a long history of being committed, especially to LGBTQ inclusion and immigration justice and climate justice, and so it’s wanting to try to move past the ways that those issues divide us, but move forward to do what is good and right for bringing more goodness into the world,” Co-Pastor Katie Monfortte said Monday, Dec. 23.
This year, the church chose to highlight unity in the community, Monfortte said.
Church members who are part of the younger generation chose the scene after they saw the divisiveness in the world and how it is playing out in classrooms and on campuses, particularly after a divisive election.
“Every year we try to speak to a relevant cause, like what’s happening in the world,” Monfortte said. “So this year, our nativity was really focused on peace and what draws us together, because we definitely live in a world that is socially and politically divided.”
In this time of division and tension, she said the church looked for ways to uplift the community and bring people together.
“Instead of speaking to the division, how can we speak to, like, what brings us together, what makes us, like, strongest and our best?” Monfortte said.
A committee that creates the display took ideas from younger church members and tried to integrate them with theology, she said.
“Just all of who we are, coming together to just embrace God’s unity and harmony in a transformative way,” Monfortte said.
Jay Campbell, a church co-pastor, said the message of unity does not mean the church doesn’t stand strong on issues, but rather that it wants to emphasize unity.
“It really is about wanting to see that our faith is trying to build bridges, to bring people together to stand up for what is right and good, and just in the world, what is good and just for all people,” Campbell said.
