People in the community have
been asking what does that Cross and Flame on the Family Life Center
represent. The information provided here will help us to share the
meaning of the Cross and Flame with others.
The history and significance of
the Cross and Flame emblem are as rich and diverse as The United
Methodist Church. The insignia's birth quickly followed the union of two
denominations in 1968: The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren
Church.
Following more than two
dozen conceptualizations, a traditional symbol - the cross - was linked
with a single flame with dual tongues of fire. The resulting insignia is
rich in meaning. It relates The United Methodist Church to God
through Christ (cross) and the Holy Spirit
(flame). The flame is a reminder of Pentecost when witnesses were
unified by the power of the Holy Spirit and saw "tongues, as of
fire." (Acts 2:3).
The elements of the emblem
also remind us of a transforming moment in the life of Methodism's
founder, John Wesley, when he sensed God's
presence and felt his heart "strangely warmed." The two
tongues of a single flame may also be understood to represent the union
of two denominations.
The insignia, one with
lettering and one without, was formally adopted by the General
Conference in 1968 and registered in 1971 with the U. S. Patent and
Trademark Office.
