OUR SYMBOL
WHO WE ARE
The Chi and the Rho indicates that Jesus Christ is our Focus.
The “X” (chi) and “P” (rho) in our symbol are the first two Greek letters in the name Christ. Together they form one of the earliest symbols for Christ and his followers. It is called the “Christogram,” which is understood to be a monogram for Christ.
John 3:16
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Romans 5:8
But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
1 Timothy 2:5
For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.
1 Peter 2:24-25
He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
It means we recognize our historical connection and the inseparable link we have with the historic church through the gospel of grace that was “once for all delivered to the saints," (Jude 3).
Persecuted Christians used it as a secret sign.
In the first hundred years of the faith, it was a secret sign for Christians to identify themselves to each other and was used in catacomb art. Yes, the Chi Rho can be found in the catacombs in Rome where Christians worshiped during times of severe persecution. Earliest usage dates back to around 150 A.D. when Roman Emperors were banishing, enslaving, hunting and killing the earliest Christians. So, the earliest Christians used the Chi Rho symbol to acknowledge Christ and Christianity. It was used to let other Christians know who they were and where they were meeting at different times without outright broadcasting it.
Later it became a symbol of strength, protection, and victory.
The popularity of the Chi Rho symbol soared significantly during the time of the Roman Emperor Constantine I in the 4th century AD, when he used the Christogram as a military standard. Preparing his soldiers to fight the Battle of the Milvian Bridge outside Rome in 312 AD, emperor Constantine had the symbol engraved on the shields of his soldiers. After winning the battle, Constantine legalized the religion of Christianity across his empire. Finally, the early Christians had an emperor who wasn’t persecuting them. In fact, from that moment forward he prominently used the Chi Rho symbol and granted great freedom to Christians throughout the Roman Empire.
It means we recognize and proclaim the eternal nature of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Our logo also includes the first and last Greek letters of the Greek alphabet – Alpha and Omega. This is a common inclusion in the ancient renderings of the symbol (Revelation 22:10–13).
Our logo also has a circle. A circle is understood to have no beginning and no end representing visually the eternal nature of Christ.
Hebrews 13:8
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
Colossians 1:17
He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.
John 8:58
Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.”
Our name and logo reminds us of the incredible price paid so that we might be forgiven of our sins and granted the gift of eternal life.
Our logo has a red upright separating the two words Redeeming and Hope. Why? This upright represents the blood of Jesus Christ shed for us on the cross. The blood of Christ is what cleanses us and redeems us from our sin. It is through this REDEEMING power of Christ that we can have HOPE, both here on earth now, and for all eternity.
1 Peter 1:18–20
Knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you.