Mitch Beaumont, spokesman for the City of La Vista, issued a statement after the incident that said Kindig had been confronted by a representative of the atheists group at the end of the service.

In the statement, Kindig apologized that his response “caused backlash against the city.” He called his reaction “certainly emotional in nature.”

When contacted by phone Thursday for further comment, Kindig said that “I’m going to stick with my statement.”

“I apologize for any emotional outburst, and we hope to move forward from here,” Kindig said.

Several messages to Beaumont for further comment were not returned.

The atheists’ Thursday press release said Kindig’s staff requested a meeting with Fuller and that Fuller agreed. It is scheduled for June 3, the day after the rally.

Amanda Knief, managing director and in-house counsel of the American Atheists, and Fitzgerald will accompany Fuller to the meeting, according to the release.