SPOKANE, Wash. — The "Peace Light," a flame originating from Bethlehem and symbolizing unity and hope, has arrived in Spokane after Pastor Gretchen Olson of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church made it her mission to bring the flame to the Pacific Northwest for the Christmas season.
“For over 1,500 years, there has been an oil lamp glowing with this flame over the site that they name where Jesus was born. That’s now marked as the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem,” said Olson.
Each year, the Peace Light begins its journey when a child from Austria travels to Bethlehem to light a lantern from the eternal flame at the Church of the Nativity.
"Austrian Airlines agrees to transport that child and the lantern in a combustible-proof container across the ocean. The flame begins to spread person to person across Europe," said Olson.
Olson says the flame eventually makes its way to New York where dedicated volunteers go to gather the flame and bring it to light congregations across the United States.
However, Olson found that the flame had not made it to the Pacific Northwest this year.
"The peace light was nowhere in Washington State, Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming or Montana," said Olson.
Olson says she called churches across the West Coast to find the closest flame, tracking it to Salt Lake City, Utah. Olson then drove over 1,400 miles in a rental car to meet the people tending the flame in Utah and bring it back to Spokane in time for the Third Sunday of Advent.
The Peace Light now resides at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, where it has become a beacon of hope and community connection.
“If we as people can do this simple thing, stewarding this little light and passing it across oceans and continents, there’s nothing we can’t accomplish," said Olson.
The Peace Light is available for individuals to light their own candles at the church, offering a special connection for the families it touches.
“A story they grow up hearing, that they think is far away and ancient, and yet it’s still so present," said Olson.
Olson says St. Mark’s Lutheran Church is working on a permanent solution to keep the flame alive, intending to become the official “Keepers of the Flame” in the region.