A Clear, Bright Beam of Light to a Dark World

Guest Editorial by Marla Snyder

I became fascinated with lighthouses when my family went to Pigeon Point Lighthouse in California. The light flashed in our windows all night. I fell in love with that lighthouse, and visited every lighthouse within several hundred miles. Then we planned vacations that took us farther afield: the Outer Banks of North Carolina, San Francisco, and Cape Cod.

The first official lighthouse recorded in history was the great Pharos of Egypt, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. It sat on an island at the entrance to the harbor of Alexandria and took 20 years to construct. An open fire lit at the top guided mariners safely to the harbor.

The oldest lighthouse in the United States is the Boston Light, built in 1716. In 1776, the British blew up the tower as they evacuated Boston. The current conical stone tower was completed in 1783 and raised to its present height of 89 feet in 1859.

The job of the light keeper was often lonely and isolated. Even when the light station wasn't in a remote area, he did his job-keeping the light burning-when everyone else was usually asleep. The glass on the lamp house had to be clean, inside and out, and the Fresnel lens spotless so the light could be seen. The light keeper trimmed the wicks and lit the lamp a half hour before sunset.

The first lighthouse run by electricity was the Statue of Liberty, illuminated in 1886. For most of her career, Lady Liberty has been not only a welcoming symbol to immigrants but also a light to guide them safely to the United States.

Just as a lighthouse guides ships and warns of danger, so God calls all believers to shine in the world. He calls some specifically to minister in dark places, often in cross-cultural situations. It is this new group of light bearers-the ABWE Class of 2000-whom we wish to introduce in this issue of the Message.

Back to Top	Respond to this Article Email Article to a Friend Print this Article