‘Peace Light’ Journeys From Bethlehem To Long Valley On Dec. 12

LONG VALLEY, NJ — It is representative of the birth of the Christ child in a manger in Bethlehem, with the “Peace Light” making its way soon to Long Valley’s Highlands Presbyterian Church.

Pastor Robin Ray, who is originally from Hamilton, New Jersey, has also made her way back to the Garden State. She recently started at the church after having served as a pastor in Ohio for three years and then in West Virginia at the Bridgeport Presbyterian Church for more than 12.

She applied to several churches in New Jersey, interviewing for the spot at the Highlands Presbyterian Church, feeling it was God’s calling on her life, with the Schooley’s Mountain area reminding her in some ways of the landscape she had become accustomed to in West Virginia.

With her arrival to Long Valley, Ray carries the tradition of the Peace Light with her, something she brought into the previous church she pastored.

What exactly is the Peace Light?

She explained to Patch, it is a flame kept alive from Bethlehem and then carried into sanctuaries across the world, representative of Christ as the “light of the world.” It signfies hope and the reign of peace that Jesus' birth carries, she said.

The Peace Light was picked up by a child from Austria from the Bethlehem location where baby Jesus entered the world, the website about it explains. From there, Austrian Airlines flies it from Israel’s Tel Aviv to Vienna, where it is dedicated each year, before it is flown to New York City.

Ray said she plans to pick the light up from a church in Annandale this coming Sunday. She will maintain it until the time it enters her church, with it usually kept between two flames at all times. In the past, she used lanterns to maintain the light, but now usually keeps it illuminated with Jewish candles.

The Peace Light will then make its way to Highlands Presbyterian Church, the Sunday before Christmas, Dec. 19, she said, where it will remain through Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Now serving closer to New York City for the first time in years, Ray said in future years she may go directly to John F. Kennedy International Airport to retrieve the light.

For local churches that may like to bring the Peace Light to their own parish, they may contact Ray for more information, she said, at PastorRobin@hpcnj.net.

See Highlands Presbyterian Church’s website for upcoming services and information at www.hpchurch.net.

Learn more about the Peace Light at www.peacelight.org.

Questions or comments about this story? Have a local news tip? Contact me at: jennifer.miller@patch.com.