wfn.org | Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has new emblem

[FRANK_IMHOFF.parti@ecunet.org (FRANK IMHOFF)]

The cross is focal point

CHICAGO/GENEVA, 16 April 1998 (lwi) - The Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America (ELCA) has introduced a new emblem. "The emblem is simple, yet full
of meaning", said presiding bishop of the ELCA, H. George Anderson, in an
accompanying text March 23. The multicolored emblem will be used not only
for ELCA stationery and envelopes, but also in a wide variety of other
printed resources and video materials. It also will be available on signs
to point to the location of ELCA congregations.

The central visual element is the cross. This, according to Anderson, is
appropriate for Lutherans: "Grounded in Scripture and reflecting our
Reformation heritage, we believe, teach, and confess Jesus Christ as Lord
and Savior and the Gospel as the power of God for salvation."

The cross in the center of the emblem is connected to a circle representing
the world, in whose orbit small crosses can be seen, resembling the
"Jerusalem cross", a "traditional symbol for the commission to spread the
gospel to the whole world", the explanatory text says. It continues: "The
proclamation of the Word shapes our whole life as the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America, in all of its expressions. Indeed, all members are
summoned to move toward the cross in repentance and from the cross in
witness and service."

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Lutheran World Information
Editorial Assistant: Janet Bond-Nash
E-mail: jbn@lutheranworld.org
http://www.lutheranworld.org/