4Īdditionally, "white is recognized as the flag of truce on every battlefield, and as soon as a flag of this color is seen the cannon's roar is silenced." 3 It may be that the red-white-blue combination of the Overton flag was chosen to echo the colors of the American flag. It stands for no creed or denomination, but for Christianity. Every sect of Christ's followers can indorse the flag, and it is equally acceptable to all nations. The cross is red, typical of Christ's blood. In the center of the blue is the cross, the ensign and chosen symbol of Christianity. In the upper corner is a blue square, the color of the unclouded sky, emblematic of heaven, the home of the Christian, also a symbol of faith and truth. The ground, which is five-sixths of the whole, is white, the universal peace color, representing peace, purity, and innocence. 2 The first flags made to his design were manufactured by the Annin company, which still makes them today. This included efforts to have the flag officially recognized by the US government, and adopted in its military chaplaincies. Following on from that, he designed the emblem and formed a group (the Christian Flag Extension Society) to promote it. On 26 September of that year, he gave a sermon musing about what kind of flag might represent the Christian faith, in the same way as the American flag represents the United States. 1 (That community was incorporated as St Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church of Coney Island in 1907, and it still exists today). The " Christian Flag" was conceived by Charles Overton, who in 1897 was superintendent of the Congregational Sunday School at Brighton Chapel, Coney Island, New York, USA.