The symbol of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is the chalice.  Have you ever wondered about its origin?  There are some who assume it was designed by our founders, Alexander Campbell and Barton Stone.  But actually, the chalice symbol is a rather recent development.

In 1968, after the General Assembly approved the restructuring of our church, an administrative subcommittee was charged with the task of coming up with an appropriate symbol to express our identity and purpose.  More than 200 proposals were considered.

Finally, over a January, 1970 lunch meeting, committee chairperson, Robert L. Friedly, and church consultant, Ronald Osborn, agreed that the communuion cup was the best symbol to represent the Disciples of Christ.  They also agreed that the cup needed a cross, but considering over time several representations had been used, which one was most appropriate?

Eventually, they agreed that the St. Andrew's X cross was the most emblematic as it not only paid tribute to the denomination's Scottish Presbyterian heritage but also represented the denomination's evangelistic emphasis.  It was also decided to rotate the cup so that the X appeared as a guiding shadow.  The new symbol immediately caught on and was officially adopted at the 1971 general assembly.

The cup reflects the centrality of the Lord's Supper in Disciples worship.  The red color of the cup symbolizes the life and vitality of the blood of Christ on our behalf.  The white St. Andrew's cross represents the purity of spirit of those who follow Christ as well as the intentional fervor to lift up the name of Christ in both life and practice.