Vandals strike church labyrinth twice in one month

A labyrinth is not merely a maze in the ground. It's a journey of spiritual miles, accomplished in a matter of steps, a measured path that's said to lead one deeper into meditation to connect the soul and the universe.

Grace in the Desert Episcopal Church, 2004 Spring Gate Lane, is now host to a labyrinth, but instead of leading one to insight, it almost didn't get finished.

Vandals hit during the week of June 19. Colored glass rocks that had been placed among the rocks lining the stone path were stolen, along with special stones painted by the Sunday school students.

"We figured they used a wheelbarrow or cart to haul them away," said the Rev. Ann Whitfield. "They were heavy. I know. I moved a lot of them."

One glass rock was left on the property, thought to have tumbled out, she said, but nothing else was found.

Wayne Adams, senior warden and the person credited with proposing the labyrinth, and many church members had worked on it for four months only to see their efforts destroyed. The vandals took tools from the shed and tore open boxes of Christmas decorations, strewing them around. The perpetrators also left something behind -- drug paraphernalia.

The church members rallied, and youngsters doing community service filled the gaps with stones painted by the Sunday school attendees and parishioners. Some church members painted rocks in honor of loved ones who had died.

In the third week of June, within days of the labyrinth being completed, the site was vandalized again. This time, the painted rocks were stolen.

"It was just malicious," Whitfield said. "They're rocks. It's not like they (the perpetrators) can turn around and make money off of them."

Susan Cooper is a member of the vestry. She said the church was saddened by the loss.

"It (the labyrinth) is not ruined but will take a lot of repair, and it is now too hot," she said.

The plan is to work on it again in September when it's cooler, although the labyrinth is still usable. Besides repairs, the church plans to add enhancements such as park benches and a sign-in kiosk. The 25-foot-by-25-foot circular labyrinth is near Trails Park on purpose, to be easily accessible to the community. But it's also in an area with no lights, making it easy for the vandals to work unseen at night.

Adams learned of the second act of vandalism after being out of town. He took the news in stride.

"If someone said, 'Put a fence around it,' we'd go, 'No, no, no, we don't want a fence around it, it's for the community,' " he said.

He's already making plans for his next idea -- installing the 14 Stations of the Cross, representing the path Jesus took during the crucifixion.

Whitfield said if the vandals were caught, she'd make them do physical labor, such as leveling another portion of the church property. Cooper said the perpetrator is missing the message of the labyrinth.

"It's something more spiritual than just a bunch of rocks," she said.

Contact Summerlin/Summerlin South View reporter Jan Hogan at jhogan@viewnews.com or 387-2949.