Integrating Image and Mission: St. Paul’s Hammersmith

I was walking in London one afternoon and fell in love with this old church’s striking signage:

What works? The grey color, for one. It communicates city smog and London fog but not in a dinghy or depressing way. The white lettering is bold and contemporary — thank GOD, because if I see another church sign in bad Gothic font I’mma lose it.  The logo is also refreshingly contemporary: look, Ma, no cross!! The thumbprint on the cityscape is far more evocative and interesting to contemporary seekers who have already seen so many crosses in their lives they’ve formed firm opinions about its meaning and whether or not it welcomes them.

And what a slogan, huh? “Shaped by God to shape the city.” Bam. Before I even attend my first service there, I know that this church feels called to connect to its community, and I love that. Then, because I’m a tourist and I might not have the nerve to walk in the door but I’d like to know something about this congregation, I’m psyched to see…

The website, the Twitter feed and the church phone number right there on the sign. Just standing there on the street I can pull up the information I’m looking for on my phone and learn more about the congregation and its programs.

Very cool.