SAN FRANCISCO—Open-air preacher “Brother Sam” Hilson rescued more than 300 of God’s children from appreciating a cloudless spring day at Golden Gate Park Tuesday by informing them of their sins and the swift approach of Judgment Day.

A former building superintendent, Hilson said he was directly called by God to bring Christianity to San Francisco’s unholy cyclists, tai chi practitioners, and dog walkers.

“All of you will burn in hellfire, so sayeth the Lord,” Hilson said to a stroller-bound toddler and her picnicking parents.

For nearly five years, his highly personalized, one-on-one style of lay sermonizing has been among the most effective in the city, as virtually all park-goers within Hilson’s range of vision are delivered from their conversations or badminton games within minutes.

After telling a novel-reading Berkeley student that there was “no book but the Good Book,” Hilson bore witness to a woman strolling by in a sundress.

“Harlot, dare ye bare your shoulders when the Rapture is nigh?” Hilson said.
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