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United Church of Christ

The United Church of Christ is a Protestant denomination in the USA formed from the merger of several Reformed, or Calvinist, church traditions, including the Congregational Church of the New England Puritans, and the German Reformed Church in America, among others. The symbolism of the flag is mentioned at
http://www.sochurch.org/history.html:
"The flags of the United States and of our denomination, the United Church of Christ, have prominent places in the Chancel. Even the colors on both flags are meaningful - red is for courage, white for purity, and blue for truth and loyalty. The stars and stripes are well known to us and the denominational flag, with the cross, crown and orb of the United Church of Christ, 'That They May All Be One', symbolize Christ, Lord of the World."

"The symbol of the United Church of Christ comprises a crown, cross and orb enclosed within a double oval bearing the name of the church and the prayer of Jesus, "That they may all be one" (John 17:21). It is based on an ancient Christian symbol called the "Cross of Victory" or the "Cross Triumphant." The crown symbolizes the sovereignty of Christ. The cross recalls the suffering of Christ—his arms outstretched on the wood of the cross—for the salvation of humanity. The orb, divided into three parts, reminds us of Jesus' command to be his "witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8). The verse from Scripture reflects our historic commitment to the restoration of unity among the separated churches of Jesus Christ."
Ned Smith, 15 December 2004

[The church] can trace its historical and theological origins to the Puritan movement in 16th and 17th Century England and in the Congregational churches of early New England. Its greatest achievement, IMHO, is that it was the pioneering church in the Abolitionist movement in early 19th century America, and was also responsible for the establishment of the first of what are today known as traditionally Afro-American Liberal Arts Colleges.
Ron Lahav, 28 February 2006