JourneyOnline
Over the weekend, I attended the funeral for Jim Gibson.
Jim, aside from being a wonderful family man, creator of innumerable projects, and architect, was the designer of the Uniting Church in Australia logo. He also credited Rev Bob Evans, Don Hutton and church members as co-creators.
These three individuals were a part of the Working Group on Paraphernalia and Titles for the emerging Uniting Church. They fully expected that the logo would last for a few years before being replaced.
In a 2017 interview with Crosslight, Jim said he cannot claim ownership of the emblem: “I might have created the finished product but the contributions of the committee and church members were vital,” he said.
That’s a mark of the man, a disciple of Christ. He reminds me of Paul writing to the church at Corinth. Paul had a great rival in the church at Corinth, Apollos, a gifted preacher and leader. Yet despite the tensions between them, Paul could say with thanksgiving, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. What then is Apollos, what is Paul? Servants through whom you came to believe, as the Lord assigned to each.”
Being called into life in Christ is to be called into a journey of Christian community where we overcome personalities and preferences and become the body of Christ; a sign and foretaste of the kingdom of God.
