THE UNITED CHURCH CREST

he official signature of the United Church of Canada is the church crest designed by Dr. V. T. Mooney. The insignia is described as a “spiritual and historic reminder.”

The oval shape is drawn from the outline of a fish, one of the early symbols of identity used by Christians. The initials of “Icsus Christ, Son of God, Savior” spell the Greek word for fish. The X at the center is the first letter in the Greek word for Christ and is a traditional symbol for Christ.

The open Bible represents the Congregational Churches. Their emphasis was that God’s truth makes people free.

The dove is “emblematic of the Holy Spirit whose transforming power has been a distinctive mark of Methodism.”

The symbol of Presbyterianism is the burning bush which burned but was not consumed, “sym~ bolizing the indestructibility of the church.”

The symbols Alpha and Omega are the first and last let- ters of the Greek alphabet. They “symbolize the eternal liv- ing God in the fullness of creation.”

The Latin words UT OMNES UNUM SINT, which surround the symbols mean “That all may be one.” These words serve to remind that the United Church is both “unit- ed” and “uniting”.

A French translation of “The United Church of Canada” was added to the crest in 1980.64

47 ORIGINS OF OUR FAITH