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Now is the time to give us your thoughts on the new Willoughby Church logo! 

If you missed the Congregational Meeting on Dec. 1, this may be the first time that you are seeing the new logo.  This design has been thoughtfully and intentionally crafted to represent WCRC in its current context and with excitement for the season into which God is taking us.

The background for choosing the image of a tree is deeply rooted in Scripture.  In Genesis, the Tree of Life is the symbol in creation that represents God’s desire for all of humanity to be connected eternally to Him.  In Psalm 1, the Psalmist writes of the ‘blessed one’ as being the person who “is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season."   And in Psalm 92, it states that “the righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God.  They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green.”

Additionally, Christ himself is described as the ‘shoot’ or ‘stem’ from the stump of Jesse (Isaiah 11:1), and the ‘vine’ to which all of the branches (we in the church) are connected.

Lastly, in Revelation 22:2, the ‘Tree of Life’ is again found in the new creation, “yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree [are] for the healing of the nations.”

These are just some of the ways that Scripture uses the image of a tree.  But the concept of a tree was not only appealing for Scriptural reasons but also because of where Willoughby Church finds itself in this current moment.

Back in October, on Thanksgiving Monday, Pastor Jenna included the image of a Redwood Tree in her message, and the analogy resonated with many in our congregation who were present.  Shortly after, Pastor Ken Boostra preached on Psalm 92 for our 75th Anniversary celebration and included the passage from Psalm 92 above. 

Over time, the image of a tree kept coming up, and we sensed that this might be an appropriate symbol for our church in this season of our life together.  As a community our roots go deep, and we desire to see our roots go even deeper and wider in spiritual depth and missional reach.  We also seek to grow—spiritually, communally, and yes, numerically—and bear fruit for the name and witness of Jesus Christ. 

We are excited and hopeful about where the Lord is taking us, and we feel that this new logo encapsulates the new season we are in and the hopeful future we are anticipating.

In Colossians 2, Paul writes, “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness” (vs. 6-7).  Alongside of this logo we are using the catchphrase, “Rooted and Growing,” because as a leadership team, this is our great hope for our community.  To be rooted and growing in Christ, and to bear fruit as we seek to deepen our hope and grow our faith in Him. 

For this reason, there is also a ‘hidden’ cross at the center of the logo coming out of the trunk.  We included this—not to make the cross obscure—but to see the cross as the creative center of all that we seek to be and do.  The cross is our center and the symbol that defines all other symbols of our faith journey.  It has been woven into the fabric of the tree for this reason, because both our roots and our fruit stem from Him.

It is our hope that this logo resonates with you as a member of our congregation, and we would love to hear your comments and/or questions before we officially transition.  So please feel free to email Pastor Jenna or Joanna, Chair of Council, to offer your feedback.