BEYOND BETHLEHEM

December 24, 2011 at 12:00a.m.

By LINDA M. LINONIS

boardman

Candles lighted at Christ- mas Eve services at 5, 9 and 11 tonight at Boardman United Methodist Church will get their flames from no ordinary source. It will come from the Peace Light, which originated in the town of Christ’s birth, Bethlehem.

The Rev. Ashwin K. “Ash” Welch, co-pastor with his wife, the Rev. Peggy L. Welch, of the church at 6809 Market St., said he hopes the light will spark thoughts and actions on peace among the congregation and beyond. It did just that for him when he brought the flame back to the church after attending a Peace Light ceremony Nov. 30 at Greater Western Reserve Council Boy Scouts of America office in Warren. Boy Scouts have been a conduit for the light for a number of years.

The Rev. Mr. Welch said news of the Peace Light came to him via an email. Before he could read the message, Nelson Miller, a church member, asked him about the possibility of bringing the Peace Light to the church. Miller is leader of Cub Scout Pack 27, which along with Boy Scout Troop 46, are sponsored by Boardman UMC.

The men agreed it would be “amazing” to share a light from Bethlehem with church members.

Mr. Welch attended the Peace Light ceremony and borrowed a candle from the Rev. Thomas C. Eisweirth, pastor of Blessed Sacrament Church in Warren, to transport the flame. “It fit so securely into the cupholder in my car,” Mr. Welch said, adding he kept glancing down at the flame. “I kept thinking about how the flame had come all the way from Bethlehem to here ... it was a continuous presence.”

Mr. Welch said the flame prompted him to think how “God is in charge.” “For me, it was the beginning of Christmas.”

The strong feeling fanned by the Peace Light prompted Mr. Welch to call other pastors in the community, who took the light back to their respective churches. Flames from the Peace Light now burn in churches in Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties.

Mr. Welch said having and sharing the Peace Light reinforces a local movement of working for peace in the community. He recalled how clergy from Boardman places of worship participated in a peaceful demonstration this summer to rally support for the Boardman police levy. “It was important to support the peace officers,” he said, emphasizing the description sometimes used. “We wanted to show visible support,” Mr. Welch said. (The levy passed in August.)

Mr. Welch said the Peace Light is inspirational because, in part, of the time and distances it travels around the globe and the volunteers who make it possible. (Joe Reding of Bayport Minn., national coordinator of the Peace Light journey, delivered the Peace Light to the Warren Scout office.)

Its mission, standing for peace, is shared worldwide. The pastor said people want to be at peace with themselves, their families, their church, community and country.

Mr. Welch offered suggestions on ways to attain a peaceful state of mind and being. “Pray. Prayer draws us out of the ‘me’ focus and helps us concentrate on God,” he said. “I do believe prayer is practical way of reaching people.”

He continued that prayer fosters “trust in God.” The minister continued that, the more people pray, the more they realize how “Jesus came and saved us.”

Lastly, Mr. Welch said, prayer lights the way “to follow His way ... the way of peace.”

Mr. Welch said he often offers this thought at benediction: “Go in peace, not pieces.” “We live scattered lives,” he said.

But that thought, he said, also made him think about the flame entrusted to the church. “It’s not a piece of the original flame, but a whole flame. Each flame is a whole,” he said.

Mr. Welch said the Peace Light is burning in a 14-day candle, which should last a bit beyond Epiphany, Jan. 6. The church also will light its Christ candle from the Peace Light. The church followed the advice on the Peace Light website on how to safeguard the flame for future use — lighting a stove pilot light with it.

Mr. Welch said themes for the Sundays of Advent were hope, peace, joy and love. When he offered a messsage pertaining to peace, with the Peace Light at the church, he cited Luke 1:79, “To give light to them that sit in darkness and [in] the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

Churches interested in obtaining the Peace Light flame may call Boardman UMC at 330-758-4527.