This shield is mounted on the beams above the steps at the front of the church.

The background is a green double-pointed oval. Green, the color of plant life, represents God the Father’s bountiful creation, hope and the victory of life over death. It is the liturgical color for the long season after Pentecost. 

The shield background is blue, the color of the sky and a symbol of heaven. It can also symbolize truth. Blue is sometimes used as a liturgical color for Advent.

At the bottom of the shield is a golden sun with rays, representing Jesus Christ as the light to the world and our commitment to carry the Gospel to others. Gold symbolizes majesty, joy and the presence of God.

Above the sun is a descending white dove, representing the Holy Spirit. White, a symbol of purity, innocence and holiness, is the liturgical color for the Christmas and Easter seasons.

The dove is shown against a red background, also symbolizing the Holy Spirit.  Red is the liturgical color for Pentecost. Being the color of blood, it is also the liturgical color for the commemoration of martyred saints.

Above the shield are a miter, key, and crozier (shepherd’s crook). They symbolize the episcopate – the rank of bishop – from which the name Episcopal comes. They represent our connection to the rest of the Episcopal church. 

The miter and its tails are purple, the color worn by bishops in their shirts and a symbol of penitence, fasting, faith, patience and trust. Purple is the liturgical color for the seasons of Advent and Lent.

A bit of the inside of the miter is visible. It is black, symbolizing death. It is the liturgical color for just one day of the year, Good Friday, when Jesus Christ died.

There are three crosses – a Latin cross in the key, a Jerusalem cross on the miter, and another Jerusalem cross in the crozier.

The stained glass window on the west side of the altar shows the Virgin Mary's encounter with the angel who told her she was to be the mother of Jesus, and the Holy Spirit

Luke 1:26-38 (New International Version)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society 

The Birth of Jesus Foretold
In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."

Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."

The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.""I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her.