Fidel and Eileen Herrera are retired schoolteachers and members of the Crossroads Christian Fellowship in La Paz.Recently they presented the church with a Christian Flag.But the story of how it got here, like many stories of faith, reveals the hand of God.

The whole Christian flag project began when Eileen awoke one morning after an anniversary celebration at a La Paz Baptist church and thought, "We don't have a Christian flag. All the other churches have flags in their sanctuaries but we don't." Knowing the folks at her former home church might be able to help, she wrote to Becky Scharn, who co-leads the Seniors group at New Life Nazarene Church in Pismo Beach, California. The Rev. Richard and Becky Scharn took it from there! During the regular monthly Seniors' dinner, they announced Crossroads need for a Christian flag. They called Eileen's parents up to the platform and interviewed them about the congregation here and the different outreaches Crossroads is involved in. On each table was an envelope, and they invited anyone who felt led to just slip a dollar into the envelope towards the purchase of a flag. The envelopes were collected and counted by 2 retired missionary couples that were guests that evening. The amount collected was $141.00. When they went online to investigate how much a Christian flag would cost, the cost was $141.00!Eileen comments, "The whole project was so smooth; it must have come from God!"

To participate in some family celebrations, Eileen recently had a trip to CA so she was able to collect the flag and bring it back to La Paz.On Sunday, November 21, she and Fidel officially presented it to the Crossroads Congregation.Another woman present that day said, "As the flag was put in place, I heard God saying, ‘Now you are set apart for me.Everyone that comes through your doors will know what you stand for and who you worship.'"The flag points us to Christ, the simple cross reminding us of his death and resurrection for all people. In Mexico, where the syncretism of Mayan/Aztec religions with Catholicism has resulted in so much idolatry of Christian symbols, the Christian flag stands as a stark reminder that God wants us to focus on his Son, and him alone.

For those of you unfamiliar with the history of the Christian flag, here is a brief reminder:

Today the Christian flag is one of the oldest unchanged flags in the world. It was conceived at Brighton Chapel, Coney Island, New York, on Sunday, September 26, 1897. The featured speaker failed to arrive for the Sunday School Rally in a Coney Island Chapel in 1897, and the Christian flag was born. The Sunday School was holding its annual Rally Day. For this occasion, a speaker had been engaged, but for some reason undisclosed did not show up. Superintendent Charles C. Overton, in the emergency, called upon his own gifts of innovation to fill in the time. An American flag lay there across the pulpit. Overton addressed his words to the flag and its symbolism. Then like a flash came the thought, why not also a Christian flag? His impromptu but constructive ad-libbing was to produce a verbal picture of what is today, and for the past one hundred years has been, the Christian flag.

The Christian flag is the only free flag in the world. It is different from every other flag, religious or secular, ancient or modern. It is uncontrolled, independent, and universal. Unlike all national flags and all denominational flags of various churches, it has no earthly bonds or allegiances. Christ and Christ alone is its Master. Without limitation, it exists for the entire world's people regardless of sex, race, national boundary, economic condition, affluence, or poverty, politics, slavery or freedom. It cannot be restricted by any nation or denomination. This flag stands in its own right, shines by its own spiritual light, true, free, untrammeled, and uncompromised. It belongs only to Christ and the Cross-which symbol it bears.