Parade officials apologize for Jesus float

COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho — Organizers of a holiday parade in this northern Idaho city are apologizing for a church-sponsored float that had an actor splashed in fake blood portraying Jesus on the cross.

Potter's House Church entered the float in the annual parade that this year had the theme, "A Family Holiday Tradition."

"My feeling was it was too graphic for a holiday fun-time event," said Terry Cooper, executive director of the Coeur d'Alene Downtown Association, which organized Friday's parade. "It's a lesson learned, and we apologize to anyone offended."

The parade had about 50 floats and was watched by an estimated 30,000 people.

Chris Wendt, pastor of Potter's House Church, said the church did not mean to offend anyone. But he defended the float.

"You are either for it or against it," Wendt told the Coeur d'Alene Press. "The greatest Christmas gift ever given was Jesus Christ and the blood he shed for forgiveness of our sins."

Adam Stone, an actor from the church, portrayed Jesus splashed with fake blood. On the sides of the float were the words "the greatest gift." On the back of the float was written "His blood."

Cooper said that it was too late to pull the float by the time he saw it in the parade.

"You get into a situation where it causes more of a scene if you stop the parade," Cooper told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

Parade participants had to register and describe the float they planned to enter. Cooper said the entry form the church said the float would contain "no Santa" but would contain "Christmas tree presents, children and adults on their way to church."

Cooper said the float had the presents and churchgoers, plus the actor portraying Jesus on the cross.

Wendt said church officials hadn't decided what to put on the float when the entry form was turned in.

Cooper said volunteers who lined up the floats for the parade generally concentrate on getting the floats in the right order and moving on time. He said that next year the association will have additional volunteers.

"We will have our volunteers instructed to be aware it's a holiday and we have a theme and it's to be a fun-loving, good-experience family outing," Cooper said.