Why AbleLight?
Our name and logo were carefully chosen to represent our past, present, and future.
Why we changed our name
Up until January 10, 2022, we were known as Bethesda Lutheran Communities—a name that served us well for over a century. In fact, there was a time when many Lutheran congregants knew instantly who Bethesda was and whom we serve; “Bethesda Sundays” were commonplace in those days.
Yet, more recently, it became clear people outside the Lutheran faithful didn’t know what Bethesda was. There are many other “Bethesda” organizations out there, including churches, hospitals, a city in Maryland, and a well-known computer gaming company. A deeper dive revealed that just in the communities where we provide services, there are more than 575 organizations that carry the name Bethesda.
And so our work began
We knew we needed to position ourselves for a successful future, while continuing to take into account key groups—the people we serve and their families; our employees; our current and prospective donors; and members of churches and faith communities.
We vetted more than 1,000 names before coming to AbleLight, which was chosen for it’s emphasis on abilities and its strong connection to faith, which unites our past with our future. Our logo is also a strong reinforcement of our Christian roots; the light surrounding the figure recalls many images of Jesus that have been created for hundreds of years,
Much has changed.
But what’s not changing is our commitment to serving the disability community through our Christian mission. We are still the same people serving the same needs, and our new name and identity will only allow our mission to continue stronger than ever.