The Banner Man

Mr. Song wears his banner as he rides his bicycle or the subway to and from work each day.

Mr. Song lives in the Seoul Capital Area in South Korea. Living and working in such a big city, Mr. Song wondered how to reach the millions of people all around him with the important news that Jesus is coming soon and how to be ready.

He thought and prayed about it and decided that it was very important for people to know about the Sabbath because it will help them to be ready for Jesus’ soon coming. He wanted them to know about the three angels’ messages in Revelation 14.

“I wanted people to see the truth, so my plan was to come up with a way for them to immediately see the heart of the three angels’ messages—which is the Sabbath,” Mr. Song said.

A Big Idea

Soon, a big idea came to Mr. Song. He contacted an advertising company, and designed a special backpack with a big banner. The sign has large yellow words on a blue background. The words are in Korean, but translated they mean: “Lord’s Day = Saturday = Seventh-day.”

As he thought about this special way of evangelism, Mr. Song remembered two Bible examples: 1) Jonah, who was sent to walk around a large city, proclaiming the need for repentance; and 2) the children of Israel who were a silent witness as they marched around Jericho.

Surprising Encounters

Mr. Song wears his banner as he rides his bicycle or the subway to and from work each day. He also wears the banner when he goes walking in the park.

“When people see the banner, they are curious and they read it with a loud voice,” he says. “There are always people around, and they talk about the words on the banner. The Sabbath is an important message. There are many ways to spread this message, but this is my strategy.”

When he first started wearing the Sabbath banner, Mr. Song worried that people might get mad at him, or think that he was judging them. Instead, he was delighted to see that many were interested in learning more about the message that he carried on his back.

“One day when I took the subway, a man kept following me. Finally he said, ‘I know this is the truth. Is there a church that keeps the Sabbath day?’”

Sometimes Sunday-keeping Christians read Mr. Song’s banner and exclaim, “I didn’t know that!”

One Sabbath afternoon when Mr. Song was walking in the park, two couples were excited to see the banner. “Oh, you must be from the Seventh-day Adventist Church!” they exclaimed. “We haven’t been to church in a long time. Where is it? We’ve been looking for one!”

Children also enjoy seeing Mr. Song and his banner. They love following him around for as long as their parents will let them. Sometimes Mr. Song lets them wear his banner—like the little girl on the front of this magazine. Children love to wear the Sabbath banner!

Angels Walking Beside Me

But sometimes it’s a little harder for adults. “I’m not brave enough to carry this banner on my own,” says Mr. Song. “I need to behave very well because I’m carrying this important message. My mind should be peaceful. I pray and pray—then I feel at peace and filled with the Holy Spirit’s power. I know that God’s angels are walking right beside me.”

Now other people want banners. Not long ago an elder in Mr. Song’s church asked for a copy of the design for the special banner backpack. “I felt that I needed to do some type of evangelism too,” said the elder. “And this is the one for me.” Already his banner has attracted a lot of attention.

“I feel very happy,” Mr. Song says. “I am looking for lost sheep. My strategy is: just one look, and the message on the banner is forever recorded in their minds. And whenever people ask for more information, I share literature with them. This is just the beginning. Who knows what will be the results?”