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Labyrinth offers
prayer experience
Prayer path encourages
reflection, action
Throughout Anaheim ‘07, students
and youth leaders had the opportunity to walk a prayer
labyrinth and “experience prayer in a form that they had
not experienced before,” says co-chair Tim Neufeld.
 Prayer labyrinths, or prayer
paths, have roots in medieval times and are designed to
aid in prayerful reflection. The path inward symbolizes
a journey toward God, letting go of distractions and
spiritual hindrances. At the center, participants are
invited to linger in communion with God before
journeying back outward to take God’s love into the
world.
The 11 stations of the Anaheim ‘07
prayer path included music, meditations, art, videos and
various symbolic activities. For example, participants
dropped stones into a bucket of water, symbolic of
releasing worries or concerns to God, and planted seeds
as a commitment to care for God’s creation. Participants
walked the labyrinth slowly, guided by a personal CD
player and headphones.
The Anaheim labyrinth was
initiated by Fresno Pacific University’s Neufeld and
implemented by FPU interns, who set up the stations and
served as hosts. The basic plan for the stations and
schematic for the labyrinth was provided in a purchased
kit; interns added creative touches such as candles that
lit the way and created a reflective mood.
The labyrinth was available to all
Anaheim participants during the entire conference.
Neufeld estimates that at least 75 people went through
the labyrinth, with a constant flow of participants even
at early-morning and late-night hours.
At the final station, students had
the opportunity to record thoughts and responses.
Excerpts from that journal indicate that it was a
positive experience for many. One student committed to
missions during the time. Another, who responded to an
invitation to serve during one of the sessions, writes,
“The setup of the labyrinth just allowed God to connect
with me in a huge way. I feel called to serve him for
the rest of my life.”
Another says the time was an
opportunity to address some personal struggles: “I
finally really sat with God and really talked to him
about it.” Several more express general appreciation for
the opportunity to “be still and know God and to reflect
on my relationship with him and others,” as one student
puts it.
More student responses are posted
on the Anaheim blog at
www.anaheim07.typepad.com/blog. For an online prayer
path experience similar to the Anaheim labyrinth, visit
www.yfc.co.uk/labyrinth/online.html
—MH
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