by Rev. Dr. Barb Doerrer-Peacock
Elements of the SWC Logo
the saguaro – our faith communities
The saguaro cactus is unique to the Sonoran desert of central and southern Arizona/northern Mexico. It weathers the harsh desert climate through slow and steady growth, adapts to the heat with a tougher skin on its sunniest side, grows its arms to balance itself against the winds, and provides a home and nourishment for a wide diversity of desert-dwelling creatures. In our logo, the saguaro is the symbol of our Southwest Conference churches, with its adapted cross-like shape it reminds us of our relationship and rootedness with God as shown to us by the life of Jesus. We grow toward God and reach out with arms into our communities. We are adaptive to the needs of our changing environment and balance ourselves to accommodate the heat of challenge and transitions. We seek to create safe sanctuary and space for welcoming diversities of people. We also draw a unique mission identity from our geographic region that lies on our nation’s southern border. There are many “borders” in our life, and in following the path of Jesus, we seek to bridge those borders and boundaries with love, justice and acts of compassion.
the sun – our still-speaking God
A primary character in any desert geography is the sun. It gives light and heat, often in extreme ways. It holds the power of both life and death. Our logo sun is the symbol of our relationship with our Still-Speaking God. The spiral echoes our UCC comma, a metaphor for our continuing testament. God’s transcendence and immanence is also symbolized in the spiral – the inward and outward spiritual journeys, and the rays of God’s light that reaches into any void and chaos, reveals truth, the warmth of compassionate love, and the heat of passionate commitment to a just world for all.
the mountain – our everyday sacred spaces and callings
Mountains have represented mystical and sacred spaces to human beings the world over, in all ages. The mountains of the Southwest are widely varied from barren piles of volcanic rock, to thickly forested and habitats of wildlife, to colorfully layered canyons and cliffs, mesas and buttes, carved through eons by wind and water. The mountains in our logo represent our grounded everyday spaces in which we live out God’s calling and incarnate the kin-dom of God. There are peaks and valleys to our lives that we navigate, there are hidden dangers, yet also grand vistas. There are deep grounded traditions, yet also places we stand to vision the future. There is sustenance and nurture, caring for and teaching one another, sheltering the weak, giving challenge and leadership to the strong.
the wind – God’s Spirit among us
In many places in the Southwest, the wind is often a constant companion, blowing across wide expanses of high and low deserts. It carries with it topsoil and dust, much-needed moisture and variations of temperature and weather. Wind is one of the symbols of the Holy Spirit, blowing with power through the people of God in every time and place, sustaining and guiding life and God’s purposes. Our logo wind, like clouds around the mountains, is God’s Spirit among us, in our life spaces, guiding, sustaining, and empowering us. It brings us through the cycles of seasons, of sunrises and sunsets, it rides on our prayers and our songs to give strength for new beginnings and good endings, fertile soil of creativity and transformative change.
the water – our shared structures and resources for ministry and mission
The element of water in the Southwest is definitive. It defines life by where it exists, how it flows, and where it is not. Plants and animals have learned to survive and thrive even in the midst of its scarcity. It is vital for life yet can be destructive and bring death in its force. It connects us through shared resources, yet it divides us by defining boundaries and borders. In our logo, as the waters of baptism welcome us to God’s grace and community, our water element represent the structures and resources of our life together in ministry and mission. We are stewards of our faith community organizations and resources. We strive to maintain a fluidity and adaptability needed to stay vital, yet also recognize the need for boundaries and organizational structure to hold us accountable to each other that we might live with integrity even as we are surrounded by God’s grace.
Thanks, Barb, for working so hard on the meaningful creation of our new SW Conference logo. Each element of your design is very appropriate for the southwest region of the U.S.A. where our churches are located. I love how you tie our faith to this land on which we live. You remind us that we are not the first ones to reside here. The video message at the end is so well-done. Some saw that video at the recent annual meeting of the SW Conference and then some others saw it at our recent retired clergy group meeting via Zoom… and we all knew that we wanted a wider distribution for this reflection (or devotional) that you have created! We are so glad to see your work more widely distributed through this far-reaching blog post. Great job, Barb.