Timber Ridge "Old Stone" Presbyterian Church
Yoked Together with
Timber Ridge "Old Stone" Presbyterian Church Yoked Together with
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| But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33 (NRSV) THE CHRISTIAN FLAG  The Christian flag was conceived in Brighton Chapel, Coney Island, NY on Sunday, September 26, 1897. It was presented in its present form the following Sunday by its originator, Charles C. Overton. The colors on the flag, not surprisingly, match those on the American flag. White represents purity and peace, blue indicates fidelity, and red stands for Christ's blood sacrifice.
The Christian flag dates back to an impromptu speech given by Charles C. Overton, a Sunday school superintendent in New York, on September 26, 1897. The guest speaker for the Sunday school kick-off didn't show up, so Overton had to wing it. Spying an American flag near the podium, he started talking about flags and their symbolism. Along the way he proposed that Christians should have their own flag—an idea that stayed on his mind long after the speech. In 1907 Overton teamed up with Ralph Diffendorfer, secretary to the Methodist Young People's Missionary Movement, to produce and promote the flag.
In 1908, after hearing Ralph Diffendorfer's flag presentation at a rally Dr. Lynn Harold Hough, a Methodist pastor, wrote the first pledge to the Christian flag. Hough, a liberal, wrote a fairly broad pledge: "I pledge allegiance to the Christian flag and to the Savior for whose kingdom it stands; one brotherhood uniting all mankind in service and love." Conservative churches generally use a more detailed version: "I pledge allegiance to the Christian flag, and to the Savior for whose kingdom it stands; one Savior, crucified, risen, and coming again with life and liberty to all who believe."
-Author Unknown
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