May, 2025

I spent a day at Camp DuBois where the Illinois South Conference hosted its annual clergy retreat.
(Tim Sandifer serves on the Conference Local Church Ministries Team which planned the event.)
Many of us clergy welcome some form of sabbath break following all the activities of Lent and
Holy Week and the ensuing Easter celebration. Following the theme of “Deep-Well Living,” we
paid attention to our personal “spiritual wells” which can run dry if they are ignored.
Camp DuBois has an outdoor labyrinth where people can engage in a sort of walking prayer. A
labyrinth is a path that looks somewhat like a maze; however there are no dead ends on this path. It
is one continuous, winding path leading to a particular destination – the center. In the Middle Ages,
walking a labyrinth grew popular among the religious in Europe as a spiritual practice. It served as a
physical model of the spiritual journey to center oneself in the presence of God.
The first time I ever walked a labyrinth, I was with a group of about twenty people. I prayerfully
followed the path to the center but found that it quickly became crowded there. My first inclination
was to head back to the entrance/exit while others spent time in the center. But suddenly,
something moved me to plop down and sit there. It struck me that we pastors try so much to help
others keep their lives centered spiritually, that we often forget to take the time we need to keep
our own lives centered. I sat in the center for about five minutes, recognizing the importance of
attending to my own spiritual nourishment, as others came and went.
Unfortunately, my labyrinth walk (and my nature walk) at DuBois got rained out. (The rainwater
did not help fill our spiritual wells!) My chair massage, however, was a deeply relaxing experience!
And the conversation and community-building with other colleagues were energizing. Thank you
for paying for my participation.
I hope the worship services we provide at Evangelical UCC are a part of the way you keep your
own spiritual wells from running dry. And I hope that when your next settled pastor arrives, you
will help her/him to pay attention to her/his own spiritual needs amidst all the responsibilities of
this position.
Peace,
Rev. Tim Darmour-Paul