When you think of Front Street United Methodist Church, what comes to mind? Take a second to close your eyes and focus on the very first image (not project, but image) you come up with. Is it the green cross at the top of our newsletter? Is it the cross and flame of the Methodist Church? Is it our beautiful stained glass, the rose window? Maybe it’s the steeple that can be easily seen from downtown, or it’s a person or people. Maybe recently it’s midweek messages or for this season it’s the puzzle piece in your pocket. There’s quite a lot of options, aren’t there! And if we can think of so many, I wonder then what the first image is for other people, our community, when they hear the name Front Street United Methodist Church.
I’ll cut to the chase. Parts of our leadership team have started a new project, and that is to create a new logo for our church! This is an exciting adventure for which we ask for your prayers. At the present we have two (sort of) logos. One is the cross and flame. This is a wonderful symbol that we cherish because it points to our connection with the larger body of Methodists around the world! As long as The United Methodist Church has that logo we will shine with our relationship to it. While we celebrate that connection we should also strive to show an image that speaks to our powerful local work in Burlington and Alamance County. This is the portion of God’s kingdom where we have been charged to share the gospel and serve the people. That brings us to our local church’s current logo, the green cross.
This cross was created in the late 2000s and in 2013 was established as the logo to celebrate the 125th anniversary of our church’s foundation. This symbol has been a part of us for over a decade now. Again, we celebrate this and at the same time we wonder if it says enough about our connection to our community. This cross is a wonderful celebration of our history in Burlington, but today it might be time to consider a new image that points us to our future in Burlington.
So, what is a logo? A logo is an image that captures the outstanding work of a group and shows the amazing potential that the group hopes to accomplish. One that is easily noticed when we see it and can say with confidence, “That’s my church!” One that is unmistakably Front Street when our community sees it and says excitedly, “That’s the church that builds ramps/loves on Eastlawn kids/has a triathlon/etc.!” Obviously a logo does nothing to create these qualities on its own. It takes people and actions to make this love a reality for others that look to us. These qualities of love are already a part of us at Front Street, and you know that. Although a fresh logo can be a reminder to us. The logo is simply like a badge or crest that makes it obvious where that love is coming from. Something that people can see and witness to from afar, and hopefully make it easier for them to find us when they are ready to join our work!
What will the logo look like you ask? Well we don’t quite know yet. The work on building it has just started. For now please be in prayer, but you will likely see more information (and maybe a questionnaire in which you can participate) in the coming weeks. The leadership team is excited about this work, and we hope you will buzz with excitement too.
Peace,
Pastor Stephan
INCLEMENT WEATHER
In case of inclement weather, the church office will follow the delays and closures of the City of Burlington.
For worship services, any cancellations will be publicized on Facebook, our website, and FOX8.