Labyrinth Instructions
Making a labyrinth is an empowering process. Your group will learn that, through
patience and teamwork, they can create something incredible! Christians have been
using labyrinths in worship for at least 1,700 years. A labyrinth is different from a maze
because there is only one path, and it leads to the center. Because it is impossible to take a
wrong turn, walking the labyrinth is a contemplative, centering experience.
Editor’s note: I’ve experienced the power of a labyrinth to captivate teenagers, especially when
they are involved in its creation. Because walking a labyrinth allows for meditation without
requiring stillness, it can make prayer more accessible to kinesthetic learners and people with
high energy. I’ve seen it transform an unruly group into a family of silent pilgrims. Even if it’s
outside of your comfort zone, I encourage you to make a labyrinth.
Although the supplies for this project cost more than most activities-- about $120-- keep in
mind that this activity will occupy your group for an entire season, and the church will be
able to use it for years to come. Note the man-hours required for each step: if your group is
very small, you may need to schedule extra time for this project or simplify it by skipping
the painter’s tape. Labyrinths made without tape are still beautiful and functional-- they just
look a little less polished. Make sure to read all the instructions before starting this project.
It’s a lot of work, but it’s worth it!
Template 1: Petit Chartres
This is a scaled-down version of the famous Gothic labyrinth found in the Chartres
Cathedral in France. At 24 feet by 24 feet, it requires the largest canvas (and the largest
room) of these three options. But its symmetry is gorgeous. In the grid on the pattern below,
each small square represents one square foot.
Template 2: Dove and Flame
This original labyrinth design by Julia Frisbie is in the shape of a flame and a dove, common
symbols of the Holy Spirit. It’s a good choice if you have plenty of space and don’t want to
agonize over whether or not your labyrinth is perfectly symmetrical. It requires a 14-foot by
24-foot canvas. In the grid on the pattern below, each square represents one square foot.
Template 3: Three Circuit Labyrinth from Seed Pattern
If you have limited space, a very small group of participants, and/or you’re anxious about
the complexity of the other two designs, then here is the simplest pattern of all. You can
draw it freehand. It requires only a 14-foot by 14-foot canvas-- you might even be able to fit
the whole thing on one large canvas drop cloth, eliminating the need for sewing!
BEFORE BRINGING THE LABYRINTH TO CHURCH:
1) Choose a template (you could let the whole group vote on which design they prefer
to help them buy in)
2) Round up your supplies ($120 or less):
 Canvas (can be either drop cloths or scenery muslin-- drop cloths are cheaper,
but lower quality and more difficult to sew)
 1 roll of lightweight plastic sheeting
 3 rolls of 1 inch wide painter’s tape (optional)
 3-6 sample jars (approximately 8-oz) of indoor latex or acrylic wall paint in
coordinating colors of your choice
 2 cheap foam brushes (a variety of 1 inch and 2 inch) for every person
participating
 Sturdy disposable bowls (plastic is best) to pour the paint in-- 1 per person
 Paper towels
3) Sew the drop cloths or lengths of scenery muslin together so they create one large
canvas. Find a volunteer in your church who has a gift for sewing to help with this
task.
THEN, SET UP FOR SUCCESS:
1) Choose a large room where you can have the youth group or Sunday School meet
during Lent. During the DRY stage, you will set up and put away the labyrinth every
Sunday. But for the last week, during the WET stage, you will need to leave it out
overnight. Take this into consideration when you choose the room.
2) Move the furniture to make space for the entire canvas to be laid flat on the floor.
Vacuum or sweep.
3) Print out the template of your choice and draw it with pencil onto the canvas. You
may need to find an artistically gifted volunteer to help with this task. Depending on
the size of your labyrinth, you might even be able to hang it from the wall, project
the design, and trace it.
4) Once the entire design is traced, walk the labyrinth at least twice to make sure that
there is only path, and it is unbroken, and it leads to the center. Correct any mistakes
BEFORE moving forward!
5) On one corner of the labyrinth, lay out a bit of the design in painter’s tape as an
example. You are taping around the places where the paint will go (the painted lines
should be between one and three inches thick). This gives you a guide and a “margin
of error” when it comes to the painting: if the paint goes over the line created by the
blue tape, it won’t get on the canvas, and when the tape is pulled away, you will have
nice, crisp lines. You can use many short pieces of tape overlapping each other to
create graceful curves.
THE DRY STAGE:
1) Once the canvas is sewed together and the pattern has been traced onto it, it’s time
to get the whole youth group or Sunday School class involved! Lay some
groundwork: the labyrinth is a sacred space with no horsing around. No shoes
allowed.
2) Distribute the painter’s tape and explain how to lay out the design.
3) Together, lay out the design in painter’s tape. This will take 40 to 50 man-hours.
4) While you’re laying out the design, you can discuss the devotional questions. As a
leader, it’s your job to take notes. If someone has an a-ha moment or says something
profound, write it down.
5) Once the entire design is laid out in painter’s tape, have one person walk the
labyrinth to make sure that there is only one path, and it is unbroken, and it leads to
the center. Also, make sure that the path is wide enough to comfortably walk.
Correct any mistakes BEFORE moving forward!
6) Remind your group to come next week wearing old clothes that can get paint on
them.
THE WET STAGE:
1) Fold up the labyrinth and roll out your plastic sheeting in strips on the floor. The
strips should overlap at least two inches. Tape the sheeting down so it won’t move
once the labyrinth is on top of it and people are walking around. It needs to lay flat
under the entire area of the labyrinth. THE PAINT WILL BLEED THROUGH THE
FABRIC. Plastic sheeting is how you protect the floor beneath from becoming too
colorful.
2) Lay the labyrinth on top of the sheeting.
3) Set up fans and open windows as needed for ventilation.
4) Before you begin painting, make sure the group agrees to work from the inside
outwards! Give everyone paper towels to put in their pockets.
5) Each person needs one paintbrush and one plastic bowl with about an ounce of
paint in it (their choice of colors from the paints you purchased).
6) Have everyone start in the center and paint outward. When two people’s segments
meet each other, have them blend the edge so that there is a seamless gradation
from one color to the next. This will take 20-30 man hours.
7) As the facilitator, it’s your job to make sure that people are painting slowly and
carefully. You can also help to refill people’s bowls with new colors as needed.
8) Once the labyrinth is painted, have everyone step back and debrief. What was it like
to make this labyrinth? What have they been learning during Lent? How is Imagine
No Malaria related to this project, and why is it so important? Share your notes from
the discussions to help people remember their a-ha moments.
9) Encourage each person to choose one word that represents this season or this
experience for them and paint that word somewhere outside the labyrinth on the
edge of the canvas.
10) Allow the labyrinth to dry overnight (at least twelve hours, preferably twenty-four)
before you dedicate and use it. Leave the fans running and the windows open if
possible. Leave the tape on! It won’t look perfect yet, but that’s okay.
FINISHING TOUCHES:
1) Get the group together an hour before the dedication service to unveil the labyrinth.
Invite their families and your pastor(s) to come and participate. Make sure the
labyrinth is dry. Peel it away from the plastic sheeting and carry it as a group to the
worship space.
2) Lay it on the ground.
3) Lead the group in the consecration liturgy. If possible, have members of the group
do all the speaking parts instead of you or the clergy. Your task is to use your phone
to take a video so that members of the congregation who aren’t present can see the
dedication!
4) Once the labyrinth is dedicated, give members of your group the chance to be the
first ones who walk on it. You may need to space them out so they don’t all enter at
once and crowd each other. It’s appropriate to play some contemplative music or
sing some Taize songs softly. This time can flow seamlessly into a Taize service.
DEDICATION LITURGY
Reader 1: Dear God, we’re here today to present this labyrinth to our church.
All: Please bring peace to every person who walks on it.
Reader 1: Help it remind us of what we’ve learned during Lent this year…
[silence when each person can think about the word they painted on the labyrinth]
Reader 1: Let it be a sacred space where we find you at the center of our lives.
All: Guard our steps, and help us to know that you are with us.
Reader 2: Sometimes when we pray, we focus inwards and forget to focus outwards.
All: It’s easier not to think about kids who have malaria.
Reader 2: So we put up walls and say, “This problem is too huge! There’s no way I can make
a difference.”
All: But the walls we create are not as powerful as your love.
Reader 2: This labyrinth leads us to the center of our faith, where we remember that every
child of God is precious.
All: Help us to tear down the walls!
[As a group, carefully peel off the blue tape to reveal the lines of the labyrinth. Joyful noises are
appropriate! If your group likes to sing, choose a few favorite songs for this time. It will take a
few minutes. When the tape is off, place candles around the labyrinth. Slowly dim the lights
and light the candles.]
Reader 3: Ephesians 3:20 says that God can do more than we could ever ask or imagine,
according to God’s power that works inside of us.
All: We have the power to create beautiful things and save lives.
Reader 3: God, thank you for working through us today!
All: We really can change the world.
Pastor: Thank you! We accept this labyrinth as a precious gift. We promise to take care of it
and use it with joy. Let us pray.
All: In the name of God who created us, taught us how to live, and walks beside us
wherever we go, we dedicate this labyrinth. May it be a tool for peace, centering, and
connection here at our church. Oh God, without you, none of our projects or prayers
have meaning. Accept this gift as a symbol of our love for you. And just as we dedicate
the labyrinth to your service, we dedicate ourselves. Amen.
Transition to the Taize service with the song “In the Lord I’ll Be Ever Thankful.”