At a West Philly church, a breather from the multitasking life

Calvary United Methodist Church is known in its West Philly neighborhood — and beyond — as an open and inviting place.  The Methodist congregation shares its stately church building at 48th and Baltimore with a Mennonite fellowship, a Reconstructionist synagogue and an independent Christian congregation. 

Now, once a month, the church is turning into a community contemplation space.

“It’s an opportunity to be still,” notes Pastor John Pritchard. Participants can meditate, pray, read from spiritual texts, draw, write or walk a labyrinth, all at their individual preference and pace. 

“Labyrinths date back to the Middle Ages. It’s a winding design that leads to a center. You walk along it and it provides a physical manifestation of your inward journey, or journey of the mind,” Pritchard explains. 

Calvary United Methodist Church hosts the community contemplative space on the second Thursday of each month, from 7 until 8 pm.