WALKERTON, Ontario -- Armed with plenty of fabric, lights and nearly 3,000 crèches from schools, communities, homes and 165 churches in the Saugeen-Watershed area, Flora Nabrotzky of the Walkerton Branch, Kitchener Ontario Stake, engineers a stunning display of creches in the branch's phase-one building.

It began small. Then five years ago, 1,003 creches were on display in the Mormon meetinghouse in rural Ontario. Since then, the annual tradition has grown to an interfaith outreach as over 165 churches help contribute to the event each November.

"All of the churches that come, our whole focus is to keep Christ in Christmas," said Nabrotzky, a florist. "And they're so generous with their Nativities, with promoting it, with their help. The love between all of us to keep Christ in Christmas is humbling."

Visitors enter and weave through a passageway illuminated by trees with Christmas lights on them. Each square inch is used and decorated to give maximum impact to the thousands of works of art that testify of Christ, Nabrotzky said. The exhibit starts with creches in an earthy "woodlands room", and weaves all the way to an all-white room at the end of the exhibit.

With only one room in the building, the exhibit is organized to give each section a theme or "room" of it's own, making the exhibit feel larger than usual.

There are international Nativities from as far away as Tanzania, and another from the only Christian woodcarver in a remote province in China. In the baptismal font, Nabrotzky laid out a map of the eastern and western hemisphere, a Christus, and gold plates and scrolls to symbolize the Bible and Book of Mormon.

The final room sets a reverential tone to the exhibit. Mormon visitors have said it's like walking into the temple, while non-Mormons comment on the peace that is felt there, Nabrotzky said. It's a white room filled with crystal and porcelain pieces, with pieces from different ethnicities, symbolizing that everyone is the same in God's presence.

There's also a Nativity called the First Nations Nativity, with different tribes of Israel surrounding the baby Jesus.

Nabrotzky, who was able to do flowers for the Pope's World Youth Day visit in Toronto, works nearly 10 days nonstop to prepare for the weeklong event, which is usually during the final week in November.

"It's a real labor of love for her," said Michael Clifton, the high councilor over Walkerton. "She's got an exceptional talent for decorating, and it shows in her work. It looks more than professional."

E-mail: nnewman@desnews.com