Labyrinth at First UMC
2026 UPCOMING LABYRINTH OPPORTUNITIES:
Chapel Open for prayers during this time
Fridays from 1 – 3 p.m.
May 1: World Labyrinth Day Celebrations for all Generations!
First UMC Santa Monica, with The Labyrinth Society, will celebrate World Labyrinth Day with opportunities for people of all ages to engage the Labyrinth in Simkins Hall. During our “Family Friendly” hours children and their families can learn about the Labyrinth and engage with it freely through dance, coloring, stories and prayer. From 1 – 3 p.m., we will host our customary quiet hours for walking and praying. Resources to draw your own labyrinth will also be available. Every year, World Labyrinth Day is celebrated by thousands of people around the globe. We join this community in a moving meditation for world peace and to celebrate the labyrinth experience. Come join us!
Labyrinth Schedule for Friday, May 1:
8:30–9:30 a.m. Family Friendly Time: The Labyrinth is open for children and families to explore, learn, and walk.
1-3 p.m. The Labyrinth is open for quiet and prayerful walking.
3-4 p.m. Family Friendly Time: The Labyrinth is open with “dancing scarves” and free movement encouraged.
Summer/Fall Dates:
June 5
July 3
August 7
September 4
October 2
November 6
December 4
What is a Labyrinth Walk?
Labyrinth walking is a spiritual practice that involves following a single, winding path to the center and back out again. Unlike a maze, there are no dead ends, just a purposeful path used for centering, contemplation, and prayer.
Stages of Walking:
– Releasing: Letting go of thoughts and distractions as you walk inward
– Receiving: Listening and reflecting in the center
– Returning: Walking out with intention, often holding others in prayer
Walking the labyrinth can help quiet the mind, calm anxieties, reduce stress, and foster a deeper connection to God, self, and others.
Labyrinths are ancient symbols of wholeness, combining the circle and spiral into a single path of reflection and meaning. The Labyrinth laid in the Simkins Hall floor of First UMC Santa Monica is a replica of the Chartres Labyrinth laid in the cathedral around 1220 CE. Walking the Labyrinth is an ancient spiritual practice, a way to quiet our minds and open our spirits to the presence of the Holy. Every step a prayer.
Ongoing: The Labyrinth is open on the first Friday of every month, 1 – 3 p.m. in Simkins Hall
If you’ve never walked the Labyrinth before, there are printed instructions to help with your walking meditation.* Take an hour for yourself in this “device-free” zone. Children and families welcome!
*For those unable to walk, we have finger labyrinths (see photo below). A finger labyrinth is similar to a full sized labyrinth you would walk except it is on a much smaller and more portable scale. The user traces the path to the center using your finger rather than with their feet. Tracing the labyrinth with your finger can be calming and relaxing, giving you time and space to let go of worries and “just be.” You may also view the Virtual Labyrinth below.
(See First UMC at 8:35 into the video).
SAVE THE DATES for 2026
World Labyrinth Day in Educational Settings – May 1, 2026
World Labyrinth Day – May 2, 2026
ARTICLES:
– Read the May 4, 2023 LA Times article Feeling lost? L.A.’s labyrinths can help you return to center with mention of First UMC!
– From the BBC: Labyrinth walking: An ancient activity that could help ease anxiety
“Walking labyrinths has become an increasingly popular global method of reducing stress by integrating the mind and the body….”
The History of the Labyrinth at First UMC
In 1995, six women from First United Methodist Church of Santa Monica walked a labyrinth for the first time during a retreat led by Rev. Lauren Artress, author of Walking a Sacred Path. That experience proved so powerful that they felt called to share it with their church and the wider community. From that vision, the Labyrinth Ministry was born.
The women prayed and held a shared vision of bringing a labyrinth to the church. In the meantime, the congregation rented portable labyrinths and hosted special walks. In 1999, the church purchased a canvas labyrinth, which was lovingly used for nine years.
Then, in 2008, as part of the renovation of Simkins Hall in the Shelby Center, a permanent labyrinth—modeled after the one at Chartres Cathedral—was installed in the floor.
Today, the labyrinth is open on the first Friday of each month from 1–3 p.m., as well as for special events and by reservation.
Virtual Labyrinth Walk Available
We are grateful to offer you a virtual labyrinth walk. You may “Walk” in silence to listen to your breath, to look within, to find peace.
The Labyrinth can be a tool for meditation and prayer, for gaining insight, clarity and balance, and to quiet the mind. It is a spiritual practice that is open to people of all faiths, to those with no religious affiliation, and to individuals from all walks of life and cultural backgrounds.
We invite you to tell us how this virtual walk experience felt and what you think of the labyrinth in general. We’d love to hear your feedback. Email labyrinth@santamonicaumc.org.
Sponsored by The Labyrinth Society and Veritas: “We hope this locator will help you find labyrinths in your community as well as point you in interesting directions as you travel farther afield. The Search box below will allow you to look though our extensive database and find specific categories or localities, our World Map will show you the locations of thousands of labyrinths worldwide and our Radius Based Search will show you labyrinths near to specific town and cities, or zip/postal codes….: