A Narrative, By Rev. Robert Stover, Of Running With The 2002 Winter Olympic Torch

(Rev. Stover Showed Off The Olympic Torch He Carried In 2002 - It Was The Main Topic (And Object Of Display) For The Children’s Sermon))

“Do you know how heavy that is, pretty heavy isn't it? You know what this is? It's a torch. Can you read that up there? Do you know what happen in Salt Lake City in 2002? Athletes from all over the world came to Salt Lake City. And the flame that burned in this torch was started, taken, from the torch, the flame, in Greece. And it was flown over to our country to the place of the last Olympic and there they lit a new torch and passed the flame and 11,500 people carried that flame. I was privileged to carry that flame on January 28th in Reno Nevada. (And you know what it says there?) Light The Fire Within! Now two weeks ago we celebrated the birthday of the church. We called that ‘pente’ – pente means fifty; Pentecost. 50 days after the resurrection of Jesus the Holy Spirit of God descended upon the believers assembled in Jerusalem and it says in the Bible that there appeared on their head flames of tongue as of fire. We associate in the church the Holy Spirit (we generally wear red, in our souls) because fire is red and that's the only Sunday we wear it, for Pentecost Sunday in our souls.

Light The Fire Within. Well that day that I ran up the main street of Reno, Virginia Street, I was accompanied, as all the torch bearers were, by police, by support runners who ran along side of me. In case I couldn't make it, they would take the torch and would finish my segment. I stood there after I got out of the van, we were taken to our place and I stood there and I held the torch up high and the person who was running toward me put his torch right against mine and my flame light. Now, how did that flame turn on? See that hole there. There is a special key that I didn't have, but only someone from the official Olympic committee turned that, put the key in and turned it ,and there is a canister in there of fuel and it began coming up and then I put it there and I did it just before the [other] fellow arrived. I turned around. People all along one side of the street, they weren't on the other side, and many members of my congregation were there to cheer the torch. So I ran with it. I had a special uniform that was given to me by the Olympic committee and then I meet the fellow at the other end and lit his torch. And so the flame went from torch to torch and it traveled 208 miles a day by dog sled, by ski, by airplane, by railroad and on foot. And then when I was finished, a fellow came up, he turned the flame off and then took this off and took the canister out so that this will never be lit again.

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Now the torch, my congregation wanted to buy it for me, to get it for me, but I didn't accept their gift. I turned the money back. I wanted to buy it myself. Now, when you are young, with your parent's example, their teachings - begin to light the fire, the desire for God and love of Jesus within you. May that never go out.”