The Rev. Betty Latham walks through a new labyrinth at the Church of the Nativity, an Episcopal church in Fort Oglethorpe.A labyrinth is often thought of as a maze or a place to get lost, according to the Rev. Betty Latham. Instead, she said, it should be seen as a place to be found.
The Church of the Nativity, the Fort Oglethorpe, Ga., congregation where the Episcopal priest is rector, will dedicate a new outdoor labyrinth following its 10:30 a.m. 45th anniversary worship service today.
“You walk it when your heart is heavy,” Latham said of the closed circuitous path leading into and back out of a dedicated center. “You walk it when you want to let something go. You walk it to offer joy and thanksgiving for the blessings of God. You walk it to get rid of anger [and] for discernment.”
The Church of the Nativity’s labyrinth, built by the Craig Design Group landscape architectural firm, is 82 feet in diameter and has plants forming the seven circuits surrounding its 42-inch path.
Latham said the idea for a labyrinth came three years ago after congregation members determined — following work with a church consultant — that they desired more personal spiritual growth and further outreach to the community. Since then, she said, each vestry — the annual business body of the church — has made it their one goal.