Image courtesy of Cross Wood, United Church of Christ.
Cross Wood, United Church of Christ will be hosting an evening peace walk Thursday, September 21 through their brick labyrinth to commemorate International Day of Peace.
The walk will be led by Rev. Richard Grauman who has been teaching the Art of Labyrinth Walking on MeetUp for the past six months. Recently, the group began walking on other special days, including summer and winter solstices. Labyrinths are an ancient meditation tool, their history dating back thousands of years and spanning across different continents and religions.
During the Praying for Peace with Their Feet event, guests can walk along the candlelit brick path. A ceramic peace dove from Jerusalem will adorn the center. The walk will be non-denominational and the church welcomes all who wish to participate.
The labyrinth was dedicated on February 20, 2011 and was designed, built and donated by Juan Jose Camarena, a member of Holy Trinity Church of Long Beach. Originally built as a way to save water in response to California’s drought, walking the labyrinth has become one of the more popular activities of the church community.
International Day of Peace is celebrated around the world on September 21 and was established in 1981 by the United Nations General Assembly. In 2001, it was unanimously voted to be a day of non-violence and cease-fire. The UN invites all nations to honor a cessation of hostilities and commemorate the day through education and public awareness on issues related to peace.
The walk begins at 7:30PM after a brief introduction and a “warming ceremony”. Participants will be able to walk the labyrinth at their own pace. At the walk’s conclusion, attendees will meet to share their experience and prayers for peace. The event will take about an hour.
For more information, check out the Facebook event page here or website here.
Cross Wood, United Church of Christ is located at 3908 Woodruff Avenue.
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