Signs and Wonders

You may have noticed that a new sign is lighting up Kentucky Avenue in front of First Christian Church! Here's how that came about.

A few months ago, the FCC board made the decision to separate from the Disciples of Christ and become a truly independent church. The diocese has had little to do with the church for the last 20 years or so, and we felt it was time. It was a difficult decision for older members who have been with FCC all their lives, but didn't matter much to those who joined more recently.

The copyrighted Disciples logo has been removed from this website. That was the easy part. A bigger problem was the sign in front of the church, which contained not only the logo, but the words Disciples of Christ. Could we paint over those parts? Possibly, but it would look awful. What if we just got a new sign? The existing marquee was rather old anyway. If we were going to go to all that trouble, it only made sense to get a modern digital sign that could relay messages to those driving down Kentucky Street. But it would cost a pretty penny. We did what we always do about such decisions- we prayed about it. We ultimately decided to go ahead with the project, and like the organ restoration, if it was meant to be, the money would follow. We ordered the sign, using some seed money from our maintenance fund to make the deposit. Early donations and pledges gave us a good start, and brought the balance down from frightening to just big. Our kickoff potluck dinner alone brought in more than $1100, and members have given generously. Yet we still have a long way to go.

If you've been paying close attention, you may have seen that the website favicon, or logo, was changed a few times. I tried making one with a simple cross, but I'm no graphic designer. The sign company sent us a concept image of the digital sign, and I loved the logo they designed for us. So that is now our favicon.

We got the sign installed, and it looked good, but the digital lights didn't work. The unit had been damaged in transit. The sign company went to work getting us replacement electronics (I'm sure insurance was involved) which took a while. Those electronics arrived this week, and Paula tells us it took all day to sort out which components worked and what didn't. We appreciate the company's efforts in making it right. And now the lights are working! So when you drive down Kentucky Avenue, look for the messages we have for you on our new sign -as soon as we learn to program it. For the time being, "welcome" is our most important message.

As for the title of this post, yes, it's a pun. There are two signs. We still have the original standing brick sign at that corner. It became obsolete when Kentucky Street was converted to one way, since it faces the street instead of the traffic. We have plans to make that into a historical marker of sorts with a bronze plaque inside, and finally turn its lights off. As for the wonders, we all wonder how we are going to pay for the new sign. But we have faith!