In the Chancel area, at the very front of the church, we will find many symbols. At the very top on the ceiling area we have a Dove within a TRIANGLE, surrounded by a circle and rays that go out from it. The dove is a symbol of the Holy Spirit and represents peace, forgiveness, and anticipation of new life. The dove also represents the Baptism of Jesus (Mt. 3:16, Mk. 1:10, Lk. 3:22, Jn. 1:32) Since confirmation is the reaffirmation of the baptismal vow, the dove is also appropriate for this event. The Triangle represents the Trinity, God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The circle has no beginning and no ending, which makes it a sign of eternity. The Holy Spirit was with God from the very beginning and is active in our lives today, going out into the world with His power.

The Circled stained glass in the front is Jesus Praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. (Mt. 26:30-56, Mk. 14:26-31, Lk. 22:31-34, 39) During the time of heavy temptation, his betrayal, Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray to his father in heaven. It stands as a beautiful reminder to us that whenever we face those challenging times in our life, we too should turn to our Father in prayer, for guidance, strength, and wisdom. Like Jesus we cannot face the future without prayer and turning our life over to the author of life.

The symbol of Christ on top of the cross behind the altar is a statue of Christ who has risen and is blessing us. Just as he stood before His Disciples in the Upper Room, he stands before us and says "Peace Be with You." We are blessed by Jesus and are reminded that He is forever with us. Therefore we are to be His missionaries, taking His message of peace, hope and salvation to all people. As we are a blessed people, we are to be a blessing to others.

The central focus in the Chancel is the altar. The center aisle itself is a symbol of the way that leads to the throne of God, it naturally focuses on the altar. The altar in the Christian churches is the symbol of Christ's sacrificial death, further illustrated by the bread and wine in the sacrament of the Altar.

On each end of the Altar is a candle. These represent the true natures of Jesus. TRUE GOD and TRUE MAN, one and at the same time. This is a confession of the Christian church that hit a lot of discussion and division early in its young life. That is why we had the creeds develop, especially the Nicene and Athanasian. They were apologies of the church's belief, statements that further clarified and argued its belief in the natures of Christ.

On each end we see candelabra's. It is a candlestick with seven branches. The # 7 is often called the perfect number because it includes the three persons of the Holy Trinity as representing heaven and the four directions. North. South. East and West, representing the earth. Seven is, therefore the perfect number because it represents all of heaven and earth. Each one of the candles represents a gift of the Spirit: 1. Wisdom, 2. Understanding (intellectual), 3. Counsel, 4. Might (moral), 5. Knowledge, 6. True godliness (spiritual), 7. The fear of the Lord (respect).

There is a Processional Cross. This cross stands beside the altar, but it is used often during processionals into the worship service to remind us that the Cross goes before us. It is through the cross that we are saved. One of the beautiful hymns that speaks to how we should regard the cross is "Lift High The Cross." (LEW # 377).

Several of our symbols are mounted on three steps, such as our Processional Cross, Candelabra's, Altar, etc. The steps signify Faith, Hope, and Love that is spoken of in I Cor. 13:13. "So faith, hope, love abide, these three, but the greatest of these is love."

In the front of the Altar we see the Upper Room picture of Jesus celebrating the Passover with his Disciples. This meal he fulfilled and made as a meal that we celebrate to this day, called by various names (Last Supper, Lord's Supper, Sacrament of the Altar, Holy Communion, Eucharist). Each is rich with meaning.

This picture is the one of Leonardo DeVinci. The scene is the reaction to the statement, "One of you shall betray me, the one who dips into the dish with me. " Bartholomew raises in suspense, withholds his suspicion. James the Less lays a hand on Peter's shoulder to soothe him, asks him to withhold any statement. Andrew is amazed and indignant. He protests by saying, "It is not I. It can't be true. " Judas, drawn back, startled, has in his right hand a bag of coins. His left hand had reached for the bread and is suddenly drawn back. Peter bends forward to ask John for an explanation, typical of an emotional and impetuous Apostle. John the beloved, is completely crushed and heartbroken. Christ has broken the bread and made the statement mentioned above. A perfect example of the universal concept of passionate greed against self-sacrificing love. Thomas leans forward with upraised finger, saying, "Who is it?" James draws back in amazement, is unable to believe such a thing is possible. Philip gently holds his hands to his breast, saying softly, "It is not I. Thou knowest my heart, Lord, it is not I." Matthew starts up, turning toward the other two, points back to Judas as if to say, "There he sits, the traitor." Jude, very cautious, seems to say, "Well, that is what I always suspected." Simon is in doubt, says, "How do you know? Can you be sure?"

In front of the Altar railing to the far left is the American Flag. We place flags in the church NOT to indicate in any way that we are a better country or a great country. It simply symbolizes what country we are in. It is a recognition of our place of residence here on this earth.

There is a pledge to the flag that all know since childhood and it goes like this:

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Because our flag of the United States symbolizes man's highest ideals of liberty, justice, and brotherhood, it deserves our respect.

The staff ornament for the American flag is an eagle. It is the national symbol and represents freedom. May we always remain free to worship and respond to those who have needs. May we always be a people who will give a haven to those who seek refuge due to threats on life from either political, social, or religious movements. May we always be a voice for those who are powerless to speak for themselves.

In front of that is the Lectern. This is on the left side as you face the chancel area. From here the lessons for the day are read. It represents the hearing of the Word of God.

The lectern and pulpit are not uniquely decorated with symbols as they are symbols in and of themselves, other symbols would only detract from their own meaning.

Further to the left is the Baptismal font. The water of our Baptism cleanses and gives new life to the believer (regeneration). It is the sacrament of entrance into the Kingdom of God. The font should be evident and important in the worship setting. The baptismal font is an elemental symbol of God's grace operative in the lives of the faithful. Our baptismal font is made of stone which represents the solid cornerstone of our Christian life that Baptism is. Note the lettering on it - IHS. In the Greek language, these are the first three letters of the name "Jesus." It is the symbol for "The Name Jesus". The bar over the second letter is the Greek abbreviation sign and the left member of the Greek long "E" was extended upward to meet this bar and form a cross. For this reason the monogram is often misread as IHC. The last letter in this monogram is the so-called interior "S" of the Greek alphabet.

To the side of the Baptismal font or near the Altar or pulpit there will be a large candle on a big stand. This is the Paschal Candle. It symbolizes light. Christ referred to himself as "the light of the world." (John 8:12,9:5). He also said we are "the light of the world." (Mt. 5:14) In medieval days, a candle was usually lit from one in the church and carefully carried home to light the hearth and cook the Easter meal. The candle is the symbolic bursting out of light in a world of darkness representing the coming of life out of death and Christ's victory over the world of darkness. For us in our time, a large white candle is placed on the Gospel side of the altar and is lit on Easter Eve and thereafter until Ascension Day to remind us of the light of the world that was present with us after the resurrection. When there are baptisms, it is placed by the baptismal font and lit to remind us that Christ's light bums deeply in our hearts, a light the world can not extinguish.

I pledge allegiance to the Christian flag and to the Savior for whose kingdom it stands; One brotherhood uniting all of mankind in service and love. (from Worship Aids for 52 Services. Ed. by Frederick Rest, Westminster Press, 1951, p. 191)

There has been a number of designs used to symbolize Christianity. Generally, however, a Christian flag is white, bearing a red cross on a dark blue canton. It was designed by Charles Overton in 1897 and this flag is used extensively today in the United States. On the top of the Christian flag there is a cross. There is also a pledge to the cross. It goes like this:

I pledge allegiance to the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ and to the faith for which it stands one Savior Eternal with mercy and Grace for all. So help me God. (from Worship Aids for 52 Services, Ed. by Friederich Rest, Westminster Press, 1959, p. 191)

For the proper placing of the flag, the United States flag when displayed on a stage, platform, or chancel of a church - when such is on a raised platform, or when the entire audience is on the same level as the speaker then the national flat should be to the speaker's right. However if the national flag is with that audience therefore in front of the platform, it should be on the right facing the speaker. (from Boy Scouts of America "Your Flag" booklet p. 48).

To the left is the Pulpit. From the pulpit the sermon is given. Sermons are the application of the Word of God to our daily living and experiences. Here we hear His Word that directs our actions as we go out into the world to meet the many challenges that confront us. With his word we can confront the world faithfully as His children.

On the paraments - the hangings on the Altar, Pulpit, and Lectern - you will find various symbols. The one for Pentecost season (the green hangings) you will see a Triangle and Trefoil symbol. The foundations for the doctrine of the Trinity are laid in the activities of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit recorded in the Scriptures. As the church struggled to comprehend what had been accomplished and revealed in Christ and in the bestowal of the Spirit, it summarized its understanding in the great ecumenical creeds, notably the Nicene and Athanasian Creeds. To communicate this faith, the church for centuries had relied on geometric figures in particular to convey the great paradox of a God who is "three in one, and one in three." Of all the symbols for the Trinity, the equilateral triangle perhaps is the most common. The three equal angles and three equal sides reflect the equality of the three persons of the Trinity, while the resulting single figure of the whole triangle demonstrates their unity. The interlocking circles come from that of the shamrock or clover with its three lobes and is also a symbol of the Trinity. It symbolizes the eternity of the three in one. The overlapping symbolizes how they are intricately tied into each other.

We invite you to continue the tour with the Choir Loft and Balcony.

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