MOWEAQUA - When the Rev. Rod Hite heard last year that some retailers were telling their clerks to stop saying, "Merry Christmas," he was outraged.

So when he became aware of a national campaign to distribute magnets with the message, "Keep Christ in Christmas," he jumped at the opportunity to display his beliefs.

"Too many people are passive today," said Hite, pastor of Destiny Fellowship in Moweaqua. "You're supposed to love your enemies, but you're still supposed to stand up for what's right."

Hite, whose own van bears a half dozen of the red, ornament-shaped magnets, purchased 1,000 of them, to distribute at his church. They are for sale, at $5 each, by calling 620-5226.

"The profits will go to the church benevolence fund, to help other people," Hite said.

The pastor bemoans the culture, which allows images of Santa Claus and snowmen to be displayed in schools and other public places, but often reject any hint about Jesus Christ.

"Jesus is the reason for the season, and he gets left out in the cold, so to speak," Hite said, adding that he believes there has been an erosion of religious freedom.

Several retailers, responding to conservative Christian and Catholic groups that called for boycotts last year, proclaimed this season that their employees are free to say, "Merry Christmas." The nation's leading retailer, Wal-Mart, was one of the companies to turn an about-face.

However, there are several national retailers that have chosen to exclude Christmas from its greetings, decor and advertisements, a policy that has been in place for a decade or so. The idea is to not offend people of other faiths or no faith, who do not celebrate Christmas.

The various company policies of greetings by retail clerks went largely unnoticed until the 2005 Christmas season, when Wal-Mart's policy of saying, "Happy Holidays" became a controversial public issue.

Ed Ganster, a retired pastor of the Holy Ghost Church in Bethlehem, Pa., said he began working to develop products with the Christ in Christmas theme in response to the issue of retail store policies.

"We do not approve of the secularization of Christmas," said Ganster, a Central Florida resident who recently worked in the merchandise division of Disney World.

He had 100,000 magnets produced, as well as ornaments with Christmas themes. Ganster sells the products directly through his Web site, www.pillarsofheaven.org. The magnets are sold at cut-rate wholesale prices to churches, ministries and Christian schools and organizations.

Mary Ganster, Ed's wife, said there has been a tremendous response from schools, which are selling them to raise funds. Knight of Columbus councils in Florida have also bought many magnets.

"Teachers are especially grateful because they are candy-barred and car-washed out," Mary Ganster said.

Huey Freeman can be reached at hfreeman@herald-review.com or 421-6985.