Few figures over the past 2000 years have had a more profound, good influence on the Christian church and the world than John Calvin. A Frenchman by birth, Calvin was the son of a devout home. His family arranged for the finest education available, and he was headed for a career in the Roman Catholic Church. Calvin was led to a profound religious experience by Protestant Humanists who were his friends. He left the Catholic Church, and settled in Geneva, Switzerland. He Immersed himself in intense study of the Bible and the early Church Fathers.
In 1536, at the age of 27, he published his masterwork, The Institutes of the Christian Religion. It remains one of the definitive works of Christian Theology, and it is regarded as a work of monumental scholarship.
The seal is a hand, uplifted, holding a heart aflame. The Latin motto, Cor meum tibi offero
Domine prompte et sincere, means, "My heart I give thee, Lord, eagerly and sincerely."
Given to the Glory of God from the membership of First Presbyterian Church
The Church of Scotland is a spiritual and theological well from which most American Presbyterians drink deeply. Presbyterians in the South, particularly, feel great affinity for and kinship to the Church of Scotland. Hundreds of thousands of Scots Presbyterians made their way to the United States in the 1700s and 1800s, and most of them took up their Reformation faith when they arrived. Many settled in the South. Scottish names fill the membership rolls of many Presbyterian congregations, including this one.
The seal has at its center the Burning Bush, from Moses' encounter with God in the third chapter of Exodus. The latin
motto, Nec tamen consumeratur, means "Burning, but not consumed." The symbol clearly means that the Church is on fire for God, but not consumed by
any worldly diversion.
Given to the Glory of God and in honor of Mary Bonner Hutchison by the Thomas Joseph McDonald family
The Seal of the Presbyterian Church in the United States is a complex grouping of symbols adopted by the General Assembly in 1892. It was used by the denomination until its merger with the United Presbyterian Church of North America in 1958.
The seal incorporates the oak leaf, a symbol of the church, and as olive branch, a symbol of God's fulfilled promise. The central symbol is an open book, the
Bible, The Word of God, the foundation for belief and practice. The Cross of Salvation stands as a reminder that the Son of Man was lifted up as a sacrifice for sin. The rays of light shining from
around the Bible symbolize Jesus, the Light of the World.
Given in honor of Dr. and Mrs. Perry King Thomas by their children; Perry and Judy Thomas, Mike and Daintry Thomas,
Kathryn Ann and Jay Bridgman, and Glenn and Mary Thomas
The Seal of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, like the denomination, is direct and simple. It is anchored by a Celtic Cross, a historic Reformation symbol from Scotland. The Cross is surrounded by a trefoil, an
ancient symbol for the Holy Trinity. The trefoil is composed of three circle, styled like a clover leaf. The circles interlock, melding into a unity at their points
of intersection.
Given to the Glory of God and in honor of Edith Ruff Thomas by Perry King Thomas, M.D.
This congregation was a member of the Presbyterian Church in the United States from its founding in 1867 until the formation of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in 1983.
The seal of the Presbyterian Church, U.S. was not officially adopted until 1956. But it had been in widespread use for a half century before its adoption. The seal is emblazoned in stained glass above the bell tower entrance to the sanctuary.
This seal's central element is a shield, representing the Church of Jesus Christ. Five other dominant elements draw deeply on Reformed and Presbyterian history, and the Holy Scriptures:
The star above the shield represents Jesus Christ, and it was drawn from the Waldensian Church of Italy. The Burning Bush is taken directly from the Seal of the Church
of Scotland, and of course is an allusion to Moses' encounter with God in the Burning Bush in the Book of Exodus. The bush also is a symbol from the Spanish Reformed Church and the Reformed Church in France.
The Lamp symbolizes both the church's witness to Jesus Christ in the world, and for Jesus, who is the Light of the World. It also is found in the seal of the Waldensian Church of Italy.
The Dove symbolizes the work and power of the Holy Spirit. It is found in the seals of the Presbyterian Church in England, the United Church of Scotland and the Presbyterian Church of Hungary.
The laurel wreath symbolizes the Church Triumphant. It is associated with the writers of the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Swiss Reformed Church.
The motto, Lux lucet in tenebris, is Latin for :The Light Shines in Darkness."
Given in loving memory of Chauncey Rivers Godwin by Louise Nanney Godwin, Mr. and Mrs. Chauncey Rivers Godwin, Jr. and Ann Godwin Nunley
The Civil War split the main stream of the Presbyterian Church on a north-south line. More than a century passed before members of the former Presbyterian Church in the United States (the southern stream) and the United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America (the northern stream) embraced each other in a reunited denomination: The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
The seal of the new church, formed in 1983 in Atlanta, draws on history, heritage, identity and mission in a contemporary form. It is at the same time simple and complex, traditional and innovative.
The basic symbols speak powerfully of the eternal truths of historic Christian faith: the Cross, the Chalice, the Bible, the Dove and Flame of the Holy Spirit.
The seal is dominated by the Cross; a Celtic cross motif was chosen because of it s association with Presbyterian history in Scotland, Northern Ireland and England.
The contour of an open book, the Bible, can be seen in the central section's two center lines. The symbol speaks powerfully of the church's devotion to and use of the Bible as the foundation of life and belief.
The colors of the seal also draw from history: Blue for the seal of the Church of Scotland, red to remind us of Christ's suffering and the eternal presence of the Spirit; gold for majesty, purity, and light.
The central shape on which the Bible rests also suggests a pulpit, a symbol of our focus on proclamation of the Word.
The flames reaching into the central trunk of the Cross form a triangle, an ancient and universally accepted symbols of the Holy Trinity - Father, Son, and Spirit. The flames also remind
us that Moses encountered the Living God in the burning bush that was not consumed, and that God poured out his spirit on humankind like flames of fire.
The triangle shape also reminds us of the stability, balance and order of Presbyterian beliefs.
Look carefully at the Dove. You will see that its body looks like a fish, another ancient symbol of faith. There is also the suggestion of Communion chalice and a Baptismal font in the central trunk of the Cross.
The open spaces between the elements of the seal richly symbolize our diversity within the unity of faith. The seal gives us "room" in which to practice a lively faith, and yet remain within the order
and discipline of our beliefs and traditions.
Given in memory of John Carroll Latimer, Sr. and in honor of Winnie Ray Latimer, John Carroll Latimer, Jr., Kathy Oliver Latimer, John Carroll Latimer III, and Sara Kathryn Latimer by Mike and Betty Latimer Black