The new Seventh-day Adventist roadside sign now being made available to all our churches had its beginning at the Ministerial Council in San Francisco in 1954. The council's recommendation has resulted in this simple but effective marker.
Pastors and conference leaders have contributed much to its final design: an open Bible behind the church name, which will be in large, legible lettering. On the lower part of the sign are two panels for imprinting the name of your town, street location of the church, time of services, a directional arrow, or any combination.
The Bible design and the imprint lines can be Scotchlited at additional cost.
These signs will be on heavy 20-guage steel, with paint applied by the Dupont Dulux baked-enamel process. The back is painted with rust-resisting enamel. All mounting holes and edges are smooth and paint sealed to prevent rust. Reflectorizing, where desired, will not be with sprinkled beads or other inferior methods, but by the use of genuine long-life Scotchlite, wide angle flat top for less dust adherence and maximum reflection.
Two sizes are being offered: the regular size, used by most other churches, 22 inches by 30 inches; and a larger size where conditions demand it, 35 inches by 48 inches. The larger size will be punched for two-post mounting and the edge formed for rigidity. ,Posts should be obtained locally for economy's sake.
All pastors in North America have been mailed from their conference public relations secretaries folders and order blanks indicating prices and instructions for ordering. If you have not received your folder, be sure to write immediately. Prices range from about $4.50 for the regular size without Scotchlite to about $15.50 for the larger size with Scotchlite. The prices will include shipping charges.
A tribute should be paid to a number of aggressive laymen who have long pioneered in this field. Their progressive work has helped to prepare the way for this denominational step in making a uniform sign available to the churches, and we all owe much to them for leading the way.
Many of our churches now have signs produced under one or more of the earlier plans.
These signs should continue to give good service until they need replacement with the new sign. For the majority of our churches not equipped with signs, however, the advantage of national recognition value should be an added incentive to action now that may have been lacking when a number of different signs were in use.
All of us who have traveled many miles on the roads have deplored the fact that while other churches had signs out to be noticed, it was a rare experience to see a Seventh-day Adventist sign. The personal pleasure of seeing such a sign in a strange town should make us all desire to give others of our membership that same experience when they come through our town. But beyond that is the greater need to make and keep the passing throng constantly aware that there is a Seventh-day Adventist church—that it is an established and energetic part of its community life.
Every new sign posted will enhance the worth of all the others as repetition increases the overall recognition value. Thus we urge every pastor to lead his church into action as soon as possible so that this Seventh-day Adventist marker can quickly become a familiar part of our national landscape.