The Peace Light was initiated by the Austrian Broadcasting Company thirty years ago as part of a large charity relief mission for disadvantged children in Austria and other countries. Each year a disadvantaged child from Austria is taken to Bethlehem and kindles the Peace Light from the Eternal Flame in the Grotto of the Nativity. It is flown to Austria. At a special Service it is distributed to delegations from across

Europe, with a message of Peace.

 

The Deep Sea Scout Unit arrange to bring it to England and then distribute it. I shall be collecting it from a Church in St Helens on the evening of 19th December. Our Rector has kindly agreed to host a Service the following evening (Wednesday 20th December) at 6.30 p.m. Guides and Scouts in the Division and District have been invited, but all members of our congregation are also welcome.

 

If you want to know more about the Peace Light, the website is: http://peacelight.org.uk/ 

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It has been in All Saints' Church, Stand this year. On 18th December, the Rector and I travelled to the Church of St Anne and the Blessed Dominic at Sutton, St Helens to collect the Peace Light of Bethlehem. We were made very welcome by everyone, especially Stephanie Topping who organises the distribution. I was pleased to meet other Scouts and their Leaders. The Service was again very moving.

 

On Thursday we held a Service in our Church which everyone enjoyed. It was made even more special by a Group of Ukrainian Scouts. They had not been able to attend the distribution at St Helens and came to us to collect the Light. The photograph shows them, with Michael and myself after the Service.

 

A benefit of this is that we are establishing a link with this Group and hope it will help our young members with the International section of our programme.

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Peter North

Chairman, the Anglican Fellowship in Scouting and Guiding,

and Group Scout Leader, 23rd PRaWS (All Saints Stand) Scout Group

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