Explaining the meaning of a name can be really hard. I know when I was first deciding on the name for my dance ministry I went round in circles with different options. I think it’s really important to understand the history of something and how things develop and change over time. Starting a dance ministry can mean different things, and it’s goal in what it delivers is often captured in a name. So, I’m excited to share with you some of the history of the UC Grace name, how in starting a dance ministry, aims, logo and branding has been an ever evolving facet of who UC Grace is.

Let’s open the door…

How often do you spring clean? The ‘UC’ of UC Grace is an aspect of our name that has seen many changes. Starting a dance ministry may look like one thing in the beginning, but once underway it all changes. The logo, letters and wording beneath it changed, I revamped the website, once, twice, many times, I rebranded, I acknowledged by values for the dance ministry and the way I wanted to push forward. But the reasoning behind the name was always there, it’s just been hidden behind different layers.

So, let’s revisit our roots and share in more depth how the ‘UC’ came about, the biggest thing to recognise first, was that it was a 2 fold development (see Golden Whirlwind for info about why I teach).

So what was the starting point?

In the early days of starting a dance ministry, as I sat with my notebook, writing down lots of different names. I settled quite quickly on the word Grace. Acknowledging that as part of our Christian walk, grace was so important. I realised that I wanted people to ‘see’ grace in dance, in our movements, actions, connections and relationships. So initially all I had was ‘you’ ‘see’ and ‘grace’. Deciding how to coax that into a name was super hard. The development of single letters happened quite quickly ‘uC’. Notice the little ‘u’ and the big ‘C’. That was pivotal as I felt it showed where the emphasis needed to be. The idea of opening up our eyes, seeing things that we wouldn’t have seen before, releasing something, and, so began the next stage.

Defining what the ‘uC’ was about, working out what would create the foundation. I settled on it encompassing these words –
uncapped
unceasing
unchanging
uncover
uncontrolled

This became the saying that best described what the ‘uC’ was about, and it sat beneath the name uC Grace.

You can see the progression of the logo in these pictures.

Three words became important

As I moved forward with the company, another 3 words were pivotal in under pinning our tagline

– encouraging | growing | releasing –

these enable us to put Gods word front and centre in the company.

Encouraging – each person to grow into who they are meant to be

Growing – each person in their skills, knowledge and confidence God has given them

Releasing – each person into their dreams, ministries and journeys God has for them

But what does it all mean?

Let’s go back to the ‘uC’, where I had the little u and the big C. You might notice that now the little u is a big U. At the beginning of 2018 I undertook a rebrand of UC Grace. Initially it was just going to be an update of my logo, but after a few months of thinking and praying I realised that UC Grace had changed so much that it deserved a logo that would reflect it’s true heart.

Big and bold YOU SEE GRACE, grace in our everyday, the way we think, move and act. Colour displaying individuality, fun and integrity to Gods promise. The dancer with a ribbon displaying the ability worship in different ways (You can read more about ribbons here). A yellow ribbon, to demonstrate JOY. JOY of movement and remembering someone who danced with such joy for Jesus throughout her whole life, Lyn.

What ‘UC’ is going to be important for you going forward?

We all see different things in life, that means we see the importance of things on a different level. Take a moment to think about your present life, what areas might you need to see things differently? What areas might you need grace?

Going forward UC Grace is committed to demonstrating and sharing Gods word through dance and movement. The saying below is what developed in 2010 when I started UC Grace. It encapsulates so well what it means to generate a deeper conversation with God through dance and movement. We hope it connects with you and encourages you in your journey.

Starting a dance ministry yourself?

Remember that your name demonstrates your identity and encapsulates your values and how you follow Christ. Take your time in picking it and taking your time creating the values, aims and vision for your dance ministry.

If you’d like to understand more about leading and starting a dance ministry get in touch with ways that UC Grace can help.

We’d love to connect with you further, so why not sign up to our newsletter where you can hear more about what we are doing and how you can get involved. Head here.