On Sunday 24th July the former Parish of Congleton unveiled its new name and logo. In Sunday morning services attended by the Bishop of Chester, Rt Revd Mark Tanner, the new name of ‘All Saints Congleton’ was revealed for the first time. Rector, Revd Ian Enticott says, “I am really excited to see the churches coming together under a new name. We want people to see us in a different way and realise that the churches are active in the community.”The logo represents people reaching out to each other, coming together as one united people. It also represents the church caring for people in the community and connecting them to God and faith. The logo will be used alongside the unifying name of ‘All Saints Congleton’. “Many people today don’t really know what ‘parish’ signifies”, says Revd Ian, “‘All Saints’ is a name more readily identifiable as a church and emphasises our unity as we work together across the town.”The new name will also be used together with each of the church names. Thus, the four churches of the former Team Parish will be known as “All Saints St Peter’s”, “All Saints St Stephen’s”, “All Saints St John’s” and “All Saints Holy Trinity”.Getting the logo and design right was important to the church. They worked with a local company, TMC, to help them come up with a new branding. EUR ING Chris Downes-Ward was one of those tasked with liaising with TMC. Chris says, “Because TMC are a local company they were able to understand the environment we are working in, and they helped us get straight to the heart of the design process.” Further, he stated, “Working with TMC was a delight, they guided and helped us through the process of designing the logo and colour schemes with great patience and skill.”The church has also summarised its main aim as ‘Making Jesus known - living his way’. “That’s really the essence of what any Christian should be about”, says Revd Ian, “but we also need to be constantly reminding people of what it means to be a Christian in today’s world. We want people to know the presence of Jesus, the Son of God, in their lives just as we know him. When we know him, we want to live his way – it really is as simple as that.”Helping to define that further the church has been working on a mission statement: ‘Loving God, loving each other, loving our community. Growing in faith, relationship, and service.’ Nic Blackmore, Children and Families Missioner, says, “We want to help people see that ‘Church’ and faith go beyond Sunday morning, but every day help people and community connect, to support each other and grow together. Our faith gives it a deeper purpose as we connect with God too. Our new logo and name help to share that idea quickly and simply with those we meet.”This exercise was not just about changing the name. It is helping the church to embrace a new vision and a new identity which builds on all that has gone before but also enables them to present themselves in a new way to each new generation. The church is a place of hope, and a place of welcome and worship. Revd Ian says, “We hope that you will join us on this journey of being one, together, wherever we are, as All Saints Congleton.”For more background you can watch this YouTube video.
