Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church
The
Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church was founded in 1947 when a handful
of people, concerned about the need for a Sunday school class in the
Conway area, joined together to create a new church.
Presbyterian Denomination
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has approximately 2.5 million members,
11,200 congregations and 21,000 ordained ministers.
The Presbyterian Church has a rich and exciting history. Like all Christian
churches, the Presbyterians trace their roots back to the early church
in Jerusalem. The word “Presbyterian” comes from a Biblical
word meaning “elder.” The Presbyterian Church is a representative
democracy governed by elders elected from and by the congregation. These
elders are considered to be the wisest members of the church. Upon election
by the Congregation, they are ordained to the office of Elder. There
are teaching elders (pastors), ruling elders (lay men and women who
serve together on a church board called the “Session”), and
sustaining elders, who are ordained elders not currently serving on
the Session. It is the Session, and not the congregation or pastors,
which has the authority in the local congregation.
John Calvin, called the father of Presbyterianism, converted to Protestantism
in 1533. He interpreted the Bible as the revelation of God, emphasizing
God's sovereignty, worship, education, thrift, ethical behavior, and
representative government for his followers. John Knox, a Scotsman who
studied with Calvin in Geneva, Switzerland, took Calvin's teachings
back to Scotland. Other Reformed communities developed in England, Holland,
and France. The Presbyterian Church traces its ancestry back primarily
to Scotland and England. Due to religious persecution, many Presbyterians
eventually fled Europe and settled in the United States. Presbyterianism
was so prevalent in the States that some British called the American
Revolution the “Presbyterian Revolt.” At least 14 signers
of the Declaration of Independence were Presbyterians, including clergyman
John Witherspoon.
The Presbyterian Church in the United States has split and parts have
reunited several times. Currently the largest group is the Presbyterian
Church (U.S.A.), which has its national offices in Louisville, KY. It
was formed in 1983 as a result of reunion between the Presbyterian Church
in the U.S. (PCUS), the so-called "southern branch," and the
United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. (UPCUSA), the so-called "northern
branch." Other Presbyterian Churches in the United States include:
the Presbyterian Church in America, the Cumberland Presbyterian Church,
and the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church.
Presbyterians recognize two sacraments: Baptism and Communion. We believe
in the Triune God: God as creator of the universe, Christ as the incarnation
of God on earth, and the Holy Spirit as the presence of God in the world.
We believe in the Bible as the inspired Word of God. Requirements to
be Presbyterian include: to confess the Christian faith, to trust in
Christ as our forgiving Savior, to promise to follow Christ and to commit
oneself to attend church and become involved in its work.
Meaning of the Presbyterian Church
(U.S.A.) Seal
The
seal of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) was designed by Malcolm Grear
and Associates and is a registered trademark. The seal is a symbolic
statement of the church’s heritage, identity, and mission in contemporary
form. The basic symbols in the seal are the cross, Scripture, the dove,
and flames.
Looking more closely at some of the visual components of the design,
viewers may discover elements that seem to fuse with some of the more
obvious theological symbols. In the shape of the descending dove, for
example, one might also discern in the body of the bird, the form of
a fish, which was an early-Christian sign for Christ, recalling his
ministry to those who hunger. For some, the overall design evokes the
calligraphy of Hebrew and Greek manuscripts. Others have seen a baptismal
font or a communion chalice (cup).
In experimenting with the basic lines and shapes of the cross, the
contour of a book began to emerge in the horizontal section, and the
two center lines of the cross became the representation of an open book.
This integration of the horizontal dimensions of the cross with the
book motif highlights the emphasis that the Reformed tradition has placed
on the role of Scripture as a means of knowing God’s word.
The slightly flared shape of the Celtic cross also makes possible the
transforming of the uppermost section into the shape of a descending
dove. As a symbol of the Holy Spirit, the dove is intimately tied to
the representation of the Bible, affirming the role of the Spirit in
both inspiring and interpreting Scripture in the life of the church.
The dove also symbolizes Christ’s baptism by John and the peace
and wholeness that Christ’s death and resurrection bring to a broken
world.
Beneath the image of the book is the suggestion of a lectern or pulpit,
which captures the important role of preaching in the history of Presbyterian
worship.
Integrated into the lower part of the design are flames that form an
implied triangle, a traditional symbol of the Trinity. The flames themselves
convey a double meaning: a symbol of revelation in the Old Testament
when God spoke to Moses from the burning bush, and a suggestion of the
beginning of the Christian church when Christ manifested himself to
his apostles at Pentecost and charged them to be messengers of the good
news of God’s love.
The triangle also suggests the nature of Presbyterian government, with
its concern for balance and order, dividing authority between ministers
of the Word and laypersons and between different governing bodies. This
understanding of the church was based in part on an important idea in
Reformed theology, the covenant, which God establishes with people to
affirm God’s enduring love and to call us to faith and obedience
to Jesus Christ.
Looking more closely at some of the visual components of the design,
viewers may discover elements that seem to fuse with some of the more
obvious theological symbols. In the shape of the descending dove, for
example, one might also discern in the body of the bird, the form of
a fish, an early-Christian sign for Christ, recalling his ministry to
those who hunger. For some, the overall design evokes the calligraphy
of Hebrew and Greek manuscripts. Others have seen a baptismal font or
a communion chalice (cup).
In I Corinthians, Paul described the church as a body with many members,
illustrating the pluralism of the church and the many gifts that God
gives to its members. So also the seal’s individual parts, when
taken together, form an encompassing visual and symbolic unity, while
not exhausting the richness of possible interpretations.
Related Web pages
Links of Interest: Presbyterian
Church (U.S.A) Websites
