Peacelight from Bethlehem

Friends of Clyde Scouts were delighted to join together at Rutherglen United Reformed Church on Thursday 17th December to receive a share of the Peacelight from Bethlehem and to look forward to Christmas.

Initially a charitable mission, for children in need in Austria and other countries, the distribution of the Light has involved Scouts and Guides from Europe since 1990. Each year, a child from Upper Austria fetches the light from the grotto in Bethlehem, at the site of Christ's birth and it's transported to Austria for a service of dedication and distribution at the cathedral in Vienna. From Vienna Scout representatives distribute the light across Europe. All who wish to receive the light are welcome to do so and it is used in services and kept alight at public places until Christmas.

Each year, the light is received in the Region and this year it was shared with Scouts and friends from Barrhead, East Kilbride, Lugton, Motherwell, Neilston, Newlands, Provanmill & Rutherglen. Before arriving in Glasgow, the light was shared with South East Scotland Scouts.

The message from the Austrian Scouts in 2009 reads 'The Chain of Lights is not only a Symbol of the Peacelight - it is a Sign of Peace, Warmth and Family.'

Visit our flickr gallery for some pictures from the event and visit www.peacelight.org.uk for more information about its distribution.