Dear Members and Friends of MWPC,

 

Sometimes rumors get started and they won't go away.  It is like the Whac-A-Mole at the fairgrounds:  you hit it once, only to find that it pops up in another location. 

 

I want to address a rumor or perception that is floating around the church.  The fact that I am writing a second letter about it probably indicates a failing on my part to do a sufficient job the first time. 

 

The session did not change the name of Mt Washington Presbyterian Church and we have no intentions of doing so.  We are solidly committed to ministry in the Presbyterian Church (USA) and we are proud of our denominational identity.  There is no desire on the part of the leadership of this church to create distance between our congregation and our heritage.

 

When I write about our congregation, I will either use MWPC or I will use all 34 characters and spaces required to spell it out.  When I am addressing the choir (meaning the people in the pews) I will often say Mt. Washington Church.  It is the shorthand we use with one another.  It makes sense. 

 

You will notice that, at the beginning and ending of every minute for mission you will hear "Mt. Washington Church: Nurturing Community. Lifting Up Lives" as a way to remind ourselves of our core mission and to think of our mission holistically.

 

Now, let's talk design:  When working on marketing, 34 characters takes up a lot of space across the page.  It requires the eye to travel across the page while quickly absorbing the information. Even after you read the first line, it still doesn't give a clue as to which of the Presbyterian denominations we belong.  Within spitting distance we have at least two:  one in which I could preach and one in which, because I am a women, I could not.

 

The design, offered by the TLT for use in our marketing and approved by session, allows us to share the fullness of who we are:

 

Mt. Washington Church

Presbyterian Church (USA)

 

It is a tandem two-line identifier with our familiar logo attached; it will never be separated as we share our mission or extend a welcome to others in the community.  It will always be clear who we are-we are the Presbyterian Church (USA) presence in this community and we will continue to be in the years ahead.