From our beginning, prayer has been the foundation of everything we do and everything we are at The Church of the Resurrection – as a church and as individuals on a journey of growing closer to God. We are excited that we now have the opportunity to create a dedicated Prayer Walk, a sacred space that will provide our congregation, visitors and the community with the opportunity to step away from the demands and distractions of life and spend time connecting with God through prayer and reflection on the scriptures.
THE DREAM
Three years ago, a team of dedicated volunteers and staff in our Congregational Care Ministry began developing the concept of a Prayer Walk as a means of enhancing the prayer life of our church. They identified sacred spaces on the Leawood Campus where people could go for meditation and prayer. Several prayer guides were prepared to direct people to these sacred spaces and to provide scriptural references to guide them in their quest to grow closer to God.
From these prayer walks, we began exploring the idea of building a dedicated prayer walk that depicts the major teachings of Jesus and would allow us to symbolically journey with him.
THE SITE
A study by the prayer walk team determined that the best location for a permanent prayer walk, based on the current and proposed campus master plan, would be in an area southwest of the main Sanctuary. Located between two existing parking lots, this area consists of a beautiful open space with native prairie grasses and walkways that provide access to the church from those parking lots.
THE PLAN
The Prayer Walk will consist of 12 unique stations, beginning at the fountain, located at the south church entry. Each station will point toward a particular event in Jesus’ life incorporating public art, architecture and landscape elements in interactive and meaningful ways. Connecting the stations will be pavers inscribed with scriptures that tell the story of Jesus’ life and ministry. The total distance of the walk will be approximately the distance Jesus walked from Pilate’s courtyard to the cross.
THE FUTURE
The Prayer Walk will provide a permanent place for people to spend time in prayer and reflection individually or as part of a group or class. Several stations will be available for groups to use for worship and events. We envision the Prayer Walk becoming a peaceful refuge for our congregation and community. In addition, it will provide a memorable gateway experience for persons arriving at the church.
The Prayer Walk will be developed with gifts from generous donors. We invite you to join in helping make this dream a reality and creating a place where members and visitors can walk, play and reflect on the meaning of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection.
