At a Church Meeting in May 2024, members agreed to a proposal from Fliss (Wooler URC Church Related Community Worker) to develop part of the church car park for the installation of a labyrinth. Since then Fliss has been working hard on raising the funds to cover the cost, and was delighted when in December 2024 the target was reached. Plans for the installation can now go ahead, with a hope that work will be completed by May/June 2025.
Here’s what Fliss wrote as part of the proposal:
“A church labyrinth can support and enhance the life of a congregation and its mission in many different ways.
A labyrinth can be a wonderful outreach and hospitality tool that communicates the warm, open spirit of a church. Having a labyrinth that is available to the larger community is a wonderful way of welcoming the community onto the church property. Sharing this tool demonstrates our interest in the spiritual health of its members and wider community.
Members of churches with labyrinths express gratitude for the opportunity to engage in this form of prayer on a regular basis. They report their faith deepening as they use the spiritual discipline of labyrinth walking over time. Opportunities to introduce others to the labyrinth ministry of their church seem to flow naturally and fruitfully.
Like prayer beads and shawls, the labyrinth is yet another prayer practice that is available to Christians today, where quiet reflection can draw our heart closer to God, and silent steps along the peaceful paths can deepen the prayer experience.
We also want to put a seated area around the labyrinth in Wooler URC, possibly with some plants and herbs to create a sensory experience – a small version of a prayer garden. Many churches are closed five or six days a week. A prayer garden would provide a space for church members to pray 24/7. Having the opportunity to come and do this no matter what time of day or night presents not only the church but the wider community to find God in a new place.”
Congratulations to Fliss on the result of some fantastic grant applications, and we look forward to construction work beginning. Who knows where this will lead?
