by Pastor Audrey
Last week we had our “soft opening” of the new prayer labyrinth on our campus here at Willow Avenue. By soft opening, I just mean that we had our first prayer walk there. You know about the monthly prayer walks, right? On the first Tuesday of the month, you are invited to meet me at the designated labyrinth. Until now, these have been at St. Agnes, Clovis Community Medical Center, the Art of Healing Garden at Woodward Park, and the former site of Holy Family Episcopal Church (1135 E Alluvial Ave, Fresno 93720). The church has closed, but the labyrinth is still there. During the summer we meet early in the morning; throughout the rest of the year we meet at noon.
Why prayer walks, you ask? You’ve likely heard me say that anything done with intention is prayer, including walking. One of the things I appreciate about prayer labyrinths is that they are NOT a maze: you cannot get lost; there are no wrong turns. There is only one path, which leads you to the center and back out again. This journey to the center and back out again can serve as a metaphor in any number of ways. One metaphor can be a journey to the center of our life in God. Another can represent the two halves of life. One of my favorite metaphors to explore is carrying a question to God. Sometimes I actually carry with me some organic object to leave in the center. I hold it symbolically and gently, as a reminder that I’m not so much striving for an answer as listening for the voice of God. For me this “voice” is often heard somehow in the environment around me as I walk.
I had several vague questions swirling around in my heart as we began our walk last week. They were along the lines of the future of our church here on the corner of Willow and San Gabriel and how best to connect with our neighborhood and larger community. The first thing that struck me was how little time I’ve actually spent on that corner of our campus. The labyrinth is located in the grass in what I refer to as the elbow of our parking lot. So I mused on the impact of physical place and presence. But soon it became much more concrete: families began arriving dropping off children for the afternoon Head Start session. The location of the labyrinth is more than just the elbow of the parking lot; it’s right outside the Head Start classroom on our campus. I saw a number of parents that I met the previous week during our church’s Trunk-or-Treat event. Older children ran over to the labyrinth, asking what it was, giving us an opportunity to share with them, meet parents, and invite them to walk the labyrinth at any time. It truly is a gift to the neighborhood and community.
Seeing parents coming and going reminded me of our apartment complex where we lived in Atlanta. Once a year, the management offered “breakfast on the go” – handing out breakfast sandwiches and juice at the front gate as residents headed out for the day. Head Start has a morning and an afternoon session, with different sets of parents and children for each. What if we set up a table and offered coffee and cookies? It’s nothing fancy or flashy – just a practical way to connect and build relationships with our neighbors.
So we’re doing it! On Thursday, November 21 at from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm we’ll set up a table to offer holiday treats to parents as the come and go from Head Start. There are many ways you can participate: baking cookies, set up or clean up, engaging parents, or by making a financial contribution to help cover the costs.
I wonder what the next prayer walk will bring? I hope you’ll join me on Tuesday, December 3 at noon in the elbow of the parking lot – right outside the Head Start classroom – as we walk together and pray for our church, community, and world.