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Outdoor Chapel
The Outdoor Chapel was constructed Summer 2010 and was dedicated September 5, 2010. The altar was constructed July 2011 as Ryan Johnson’s Eagle Scout Project. Ryan and other Scouts from Troop 146 worked for nearly a week to gather materials, build a frame, lay concrete block, and mix and pour cement in order to complete the project.
The Outdoor Chapel is used every week during the summer for Wednesday Outdoor Worship, and once a month on Sunday mornings for worship. The chapel is also used for our annual Labyrinth Tea Party, weddings, and other fellowship activities. We do allow families and other groups to use the Outdoor Chapel. Please contact the church office if you would like to reserve the chapel for your next occasion.
The Labyrinth
As the seasons change, so do the seasons of the labyrinth. In the spring, there is new life, the daffodils and tulips bloom forth. As the summer progresses, we see a large variety of colors with many flowers and shrubs. When fall descends upon the Labyrinth, we see the crisp autumn colors.
The Labyrinth serves as a quiet and peaceful place away from the loudness of the world. A place to talk and walk with God, a place for prayer, meditation, or a place to just be. We are very blessed to have this place in our backyard. Take the time to walk with the Lord, experience a sunset from the Labyrinth, and take in the spectacular view!
Adapted from: News from the Labyrinth by Terri Nustvold
We welcome all to come and experience our Labyrinth and Prayer Garden. The Labyrinth and Prayer Garden was built by volunteers in 2005 and dedicated on September 9, 2006. The labyrinth is a 60 foot diameter replica of the one in the Chartres cathedral in France. Eleven concentric circles make up the labyrinth, with the path winding to the center and back out. The labyrinth is not a maze. There are no dead ends, no trick paths. You can’t get lost. You walk the winding path to the center and then return the same way.
The paths of our labyrinth are outlined in field stone from local fields with gravel in between. There are plants and shrubs in the prayer gardens at either side of the path leading to the labyrinth. The outer edge of the site is planted with shrubs and trees.
Walking the labyrinth can be an active way of praying. The walk involves our bodies as we physically move along the path, our minds as we meditate on scripture or prayers, and our spirits as we are led by God’s Spirit. The path of the labyrinth is like our journey through life, with many twists, turns, and returns. We do not get lost on this path because it always leads to the center. It is this movement toward the center which brings us closer to a spiritual “home” – the heart of God.
We are reminded by this path in East Immanuel’s backyard that all of life is a walk with our God. The walk that we are invited to take on the path of the labyrinth calls us to focus our whole person, physical and spiritual, on the presence of God in our lives at that moment. As we walk the path we can envision ourselves drawing closer to the center of our life of faith.