LAMPLIGHTER Spring 2015
Rooted and Growing: In Christ. In Community. by Pastor Kyle Bitter
Over the past year, the Board of Outreach and the Communications Committee have been working on establishing a permanent brand for St. John’s to use as we reach out to our community. One major piece of this project has been the design of a memorable and unique logo that represents our ministry as a church and school. Through consultation with several graphic designers and after gathering input from both congregational leadership and the membership at large, the logo you see on this page has been chosen. Look for this logo on church and school publications, our website, bulletin cover, e-news, and other places. Ian Welch is the graphic designer who produced this piece of art for our congregation. Here are some of his words regarding the symbolism in this particular design:
One of the things that stood out during the first month of research was the strong history of lay members and leadership at St. John’s in Wauwatosa. In researching other churches, it seemed as though the church itself stood or fell by the pastors—the shepherds of the sheep. St. John’s has endured many ups and downs throughout its long history, but during those times the layity have stood out as a beacon of light and solidarity to continue preaching the truth of God’s life-giving Word.
This is something that could not be overlooked and directly affected the design process. Other consideration were the gospel of “St. John” and its use and symbolism throughout the history of the Christian church and during the church year. St. John’s current mission statement and the
mission statements used over the past century were studied and also influenced the design of the logo.
This concept . . . makes use of the cross as the central element of the logo. An eight-pointed cross [note: four leaves create four additional points–ed.] is used that references the “Eighth Day” used by St. Augustine of Hippo which is a symbol of Holy Baptism and New Creation. Eight sided objects are frequently used in churches—Martin Luther, being keenly aware of its significance, also used its symbolism in his sermons and in churches.
The [leaves] protruding from the corners have also been used to symbolize the Resurrection. During the Easter season, the Gospel readings are often from the Gospel of St. John. [The] leaves in this concept pictures Jesus’ words in John 15:5, “I am the vine; you are the branches.” The end result is a timeless presentation that is both ancient and modern; rooted in history, yet approachable; and that will serve you well for decades to come.—Ian M. Welch
During the evaluation process, several other connections came to light. When this logo was first observed, many people felt as though they had seen it somewhere before. Such an observation shows the influence the architecture of our church had on this logo. A somewhat similar cross can be seen on the wooden organ case and on the front of the balcony. The shape of the leaves can be seen on the sides of some pews and in much of the woodwork in the front of the church. This logo also connects in a meaningful way to our ministry through our school. This logo reflects the “Rooted and Growing” campaign that built our school and that is engraved on our school cornerstone. In time, our community will come to identify this logo with our ministry as a church and school.