Kingswood United Methodist Church Dedicates Labyrinth

In a bittersweet ceremony on Sunday, dedicated its labyrinth to the memory of Steven Taylor and , who were members of the church. Both died in the past year.

, the labyrinth is on the church’s campus and is open to everyone to use.

“This labyrinth pathway of prayer has been installed here in order to the invite the community into deeper experiences of connection with God,” the Rev. Margaret Gramley told a crowd of about 50 people who gathered for the dedication.

The labyrinth honors not only Taylor and Traynor, but "other youth whose lives have been cut short too soon," Gramley said.

Taylor and Traynor's mothers spoke at the ceremony, where they remembered their children and expressed gratitude for the church's memorial to them.

“We will never forget him. The labyrinth is an opportunity to remember Steven," Alison Taylor said. "We are sorry he wasn’t with us longer, but we are grateful to have had him. He was so helpful and loyal.”

A poster with the message "We love you, Steven!" and a picture of Taylor was brought to the ceremony.

Cindy Traynor thanked Gates, a junior at , for his labyrinth project.

“We have had so many twists and turns. The labyrinth is the opposite, and it takes us to the center through only one path. I hope it brings everyone peace," she said.

“Let us remember that life is short,” she said.

Attendees stood outside the labyrinth’s borders, with some taking pictures during the 20-minute ceremony, which also included prayers read by Kingswood minister Luke Pepper, Gates and fellow Scout Jeremy Koppenhaver.

Troop 401 Scoutmaster Dave Hart said the ceremony was “beautiful,” and that he was pleased with finished labyrinth.

“The labyrinth came out much better than I expected,” he said.

Gramley thanked Gates for his work on the labyrinth, stating that she was “extremely proud” of him.

Gates explained that while he was researching his labyrinth project, he realized that he should dedicate it to Taylor and Traynor.

“The labyrinth represents the beginning and end of life, so I thought it made sense that it’s in their honor,” he said.

"I have heard that lots of people have used the labyrinth, and that's great," Gates said.

A bench donated by Traynor’s family was placed near the labyrinth’s entrance. The bench’s inscription reads “If love could have saved you, you would have lived forever.” Taylor’s family plans to donate an obelisk.

Koppenhaver plans to incorporate the labyrinth into his upcoming Eagle Scout project. He hopes to incorporate landscaping details around the labyrinth.