The Mullins Beautification Committee in Mullins, South Carolina, kept a small 3-by-4-foot Nativity scene in the new marketplace parking area after Mayor Miko Pickett asked for its removal on church-state grounds. Committee leader Kimberly Byrd — whose volunteers paid for and installed the decorations — vowed to keep the display and said she would remove all decorations if officials forced the Nativity down. The incident has drawn local support, national attention and a legal context in the 1984 Lynch v. Donnelly decision about religious displays.
Mullins Keeps Nativity Scene After Mayor Asked for Its Removal, Sparking Local Debate
A Nativity display in a marketplace parking lot in Mullins, South Carolina, sparked a holiday controversy in the small town.
A volunteer committee in Mullins, South Carolina, refused a mayoral request to remove a small Nativity scene from the new marketplace parking area, prompting a heated local discussion about religion on public property.
The Mullins Beautification Committee, led by Kimberly Byrd, spent roughly two weeks installing holiday decorations for the city's first Christmas season at the marketplace. Using personal funds, volunteers placed a snowman, wreaths, lights, a Santa figure and a 3-by-4-foot Nativity set to help draw shoppers to the downtown area.
Byrd says she later received a text from Mayor Miko Pickett asking that the Nativity be removed from the public lot out of respect for residents of different faiths and to avoid entangling the city in church-state issues. Byrd described the request as shocking in a community she calls "faith-based," where, she said, "we have a church on every corner."
'Christ is why we celebrate Christmas,' Byrd said. 'If officials insist on removing the Nativity, I will take down the other decorations as well.'
Mayor Pickett posted a statement to Facebook on Nov. 26 saying she asked only that the religious symbol be removed from public property, citing separation-of-church-and-state concerns. Pickett did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for further comment.
Nativity display in Mullins, South Carolina, December 2025.
Some city council members and residents backed Byrd's decision to leave the display in place. Mullins councilman Albert Woodberry told reporters he had not spoken directly with the mayor but supported keeping the Nativity up through the holiday season, noting it is visible to passing children and families.
Legal Context
Legal precedent on seasonal religious displays is mixed. In the 1984 U.S. Supreme Court case Lynch v. Donnelly, a 5-4 majority found that a city’s Nativity scene did not violate the Establishment Clause when it was part of a broader display that included secular holiday symbols. That decision is often cited in disputes over whether government or publicly accessible spaces may host religious displays alongside secular decorations.
Award And Reaction
Religious-liberty law firm Becket honored Byrd this week with its 2025 "Tiny Tim Toast" award for defending the Nativity. Mark Rienzi, Becket's president, praised Byrd's actions as courageous and patriotic in the face of what he called efforts to remove religion from public life.
The episode has drawn local and outside attention, with supporters encouraging Byrd and others who defend public religious displays and opponents arguing for adherence to constitutional limits on government endorsement of religion. The dispute in Mullins may prompt further local discussion or formal action by the city council about holiday displays on public property.
