Posts Tagged ‘spiritual NoCo’

Designed by one of the world's premier labyrinth artists, the labyrinth at Zion United Church of Christ offers a peaceful place for prayer and meditation.

For at least 4,000 years, human beings have used labyrinths as a tool for deeper personal insight and a way to connect with nature and the divine. Taking slow, purposeful steps on a winding pathway, you’re invited to calm your mind, set aside your daily concerns, and for a short while, simply be.

Reverend Mark Milligan of North County’s Zion United Church of Christ discovered this blissful experience while attending a conference in 1998, and he was so touched by it that he eventually inspired his congregation to build a labyrinth of its own.

“When I first walked on a labyrinth, I found it to be a very moving and freeing experience, allowing me to know God’s spirit in a much different way,” Milligan says. “I came back from the conference and just started talking about it and gathering photos, and then we started integrating labyrinths into our Bible study and Sunday school classes, and then finally the congregation just decided that we should install a labyrinth as a gift to the community.”

One of a handful of permanent labyrinths in the St. Louis area, the Zion Labyrinth is the only one located in North County.

It took several years to bring the project to fruition, but the church’s “gift to North County” opened in late 2005 and has since welcomed 25-30 visitors every week. Nestled on an idyllic woodland property just west of Jamestown Mall, the 48-foot circle features a gently intertwining path of paver bricks and rests in an incredibly peaceful setting enveloped by dense forest. It even overlooks the private Lake James.

“As a congregation we wondered what we could do that no other church was doing…what really made us stand out,” Milligan says. “With this beautiful, pastoral setting that we have, the labyrinth just seemed like a natural fit.”

To build it, Milligan sought the guidance of Robert Ferre, a world-renowned labyrinth builder who just happens to be based in St. Louis. Ferre’s company, Labyrinth Enterprises, has constructed more than 1,000 temporary and permanent labyrinths all over the globe, and Ferre himself is considered the leading expert in all things labyrinth.

The result of generous donations from Waldbart's Nursery and a Missouri Botanical Garden master gardener, the zen-like landscape surrounding the Zion Labyrinth greatly enhances the sense of tranquility.

He first became interested in the subject while visiting Gothic cathedrals in Europe, and before long he was completely intrigued by the medieval labyrinth at the Chartres cathedral in France – a classic and often repeated design dating from 1220. It was this pattern of 11 concentric circles that Ferre used to create the Zion Labyrinth.

“Being able to work with someone as knowledgeable as Robert has been such a joy,” Milligan says. “Since our labyrinth was built, he and I have been able to develop a friendship, and we now work together on the International Labyrinth Society, whose mission is to educate people on the history and benefits of labyrinths.”

Historically speaking, labyrinths show up in many world cultures – Greek, Peruvian, Ukranian, even Swedish – and the pathway often represents the journey between birth and death. For early Christians, labyrinths served as a mock pilgrimage for those unable to travel to the Holy Land, while for Hopi Indians, the labyrinth has always been a much revered symbol for Mother Earth.

Today, labyrinths are believed to enhance right brain activity, balance the body’s energy system, and of course, help you relax. “Walk the labyrinth and I guarantee you will feel some positive effect,” Milligan says, noting that even those in wheelchairs can participate. “We made sure that our labyrinth is open and accessible to everyone.”

And no, you don’t have to be a church member or even a Christian to enjoy it. “There’s never a fee, and there’s never an expectation that you have to join the church,” Milligan says. “We’ve just tried to create a place where people can come to get away for a while, and we truly do view it as a gift to the entire North County community.”

On May 1, Milligan and his congregation are taking their gift one step further by hosting a festival celebrating World Labyrinth Day. Members of local African Methodist Episcopal (AME) churches, who have been working with their own temporary labyrinths, are helping to organize the event, and Milligan expects to draw quite a crowd.

“It just amazes me how many positive things happen around the labyrinth, without us really doing anything purposefully,” he says. “All kinds of people are drawn to it, and now we’re even bringing people of different cultures and religions together. Really, it’s done so much more than we ever anticipated.”

Want to experience the Zion Labyrinth yourself? It’s located behind Zion United Church of Christ, 5710 N. Hwy 67, 63034, and is open every day, sunrise to sunset.

The 1 And Only Restaurant on Old St. Charles Road is not a fancy place, but it serves up some of the finest organic comfort food in the St. Louis area.

They say the Lord works in mysterious ways, and I have to agree. How else can you explain finding an all-natural, gourmet restaurant, where nearly everything is organic and made from scratch and most of the ingredients are locally grown, in a faded strip mall on the outskirts of Northwest Plaza?

It doesn’t seem possible, and yet it is. In fact, Thomas and Tracy Mathews, owners of The 1 And Only Restaurant in St. Ann, are probably cooking up some of the best and healthiest food in North County.

Both spent years working in other people’s restaurants, until they opened The 1 And Only in June 2009, after four years of saving money and amassing equipment. “We slowly collected supplies here and there, closed restaurants or sales, and then just stored everything in our basement and garage, waiting until we could afford to open our own restaurant,” Tracy says.

Joe Floyd (L), Tom Mathews and Tracy Mathews

These days, the business is in full swing, offering dine-in, carryout, delivery, and catering. Executive chef Tom cooks every meal to order – from Florentine omelets, chicken wraps and apple pancakes to five-cheese penne, salads and coconut shrimp. With the help of sous chef/brother-in-law Joe Floyd, he also creates a daily soup, fresh veggie dish and fresh starch. Today it was creamy chicken soup with brown rice, sautéed butternut squash, and real baked potatoes.

Tracy handles the sweeter side of the restaurant – and wow, is she good! I can only pass along the raves of others in describing Tom’s food (and the raves are many), but I’ve tasted Tracy’s baking myself and it’s outstanding. Grinding most of her own seeds and flour, she makes gorgeous loaves of bread from scratch: whole wheat, banana, onion, even spinach, sage and cheese. She also makes applesauce, apple butter and mouth-watering desserts, including her best seller, the Melting Snow Brownie.

Cocoa for the brownies comes from the same source as the Mathews’ organic, fair trade coffee (which they freshly grind by the pot): Dean’s Beans. “We’re the only place in Missouri you can get Dean’s,” Tom says. “And it’s the best coffee you’ll ever taste.”

Tracy's fiber-packed fresh baked wheat bread and cutie-pie mini cinnamon loaves

Tom sources all of his restaurant’s products, working closely with local farmers and other small, green-minded vendors, and he’s adamant about using strictly natural and organic items, including meat. Not because it’s trendy or because Tom considers himself an environmentalist per se, but because he and Tracy strongly believe that caring for the earth and properly nourishing their bodies is fundamental to their mission as Christians.

That’s right. The 1 And Only is not just a restaurant. It’s a Christian restaurant and lending library, where the Mathews not only serve meals but also generously share books and DVDs on Christian teachings and subjects like homeschooling. (Tom and Tracy have six kids, three of whom are currently home-schooled.)

With scripture verses streaming across the walls and tables painted to match books of the Bible, there’s no mistaking the homey café’s Christian slant. Tom might even ask you what your favorite Bible book is so he can seat you at the corresponding table. And if you’re a kid who learns the restaurant’s daily Bible verse, you’ll get a fun surprise.

That all sounds fine if you’re a Christian, and indeed, the Mathews have many customers who share their beliefs. But they’re also happy to serve anyone who shares their love of good quality natural food.

The 1 And Only has a pool table that customers can use for free.

“A woman came in from Warrenton one day, and right away told me she was an atheist,” Tracy says. “I told her I didn’t mind, just as long as she enjoyed her meal. We’re not here to preach.”

That certainly proved true during my visit to The 1 And Only. I’m about as non-religious as you get and normally avoid Christian-specific businesses like the plague, but the fact is Tom and Tracy Mathews are warm, genuine and surprisingly progressive people, and I really respect their passion, their work ethic and their talent.

In a few weeks, they’ll be hosting a number of farmers at their restaurant to discuss the possibility of creating a St. Louis-wide BSA. That’s a CSA (community supported agriculture) subscription service that would allow local restaurants to receive weekly lots of fresh produce directly from local farmers.

The Mathews regularly open their doors for community meetings like that, even welcoming some of their troubled neighbors at the “long-term hotel” on N. Lindbergh. They chose their location – in a tiny strip mall fronting what used to be the Northwest 9 cinema – precisely because it’s in a struggling area. “We thought we could reach out to people who need our help,” Tracy says.

And thankfully, that help extends to embarrassed writers with dead car batteries. Because not only did Tom and Tracy (and Joe) share their time and delicious baked goods with me, patiently telling me about their family, their faith, and their lovely restaurant. They also were kind enough to give my car a jump start, in the rain. Hallelujah!

The 1 And Only Restaurant is located at 11188 Old St. Charles Rd, 63074. (314) 298-9811. Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 7am-9pm. Dine-in, carry-out, limited delivery, and catering. Full menu online.

Would you expect to see monks like these in Florissant? You should.

I was at True Value Hardware in Florissant several years ago and was shocked to turn around and see three Buddhist monks, all dressed in blazing orange robes, standing right behind me. It’s not something you see every day, especially in Florissant (or most places in the US), so I had to know where these mystery men came from.

Turns out, Wat Phrasriratanaram, the Buddhist Temple & Meditation Center of Greater St. Louis, is located right here in NoCo. And it has been for 19 years!

Residing in a former church at 890 Lindsay Lane, the temple is home to 4-5 monks, all of whom were ordained in Thailand at least ten years ago according to the Thai Theravada tradition. Similar to Catholic nuns, the monks live a life of simplicity and poverty, observing 227 moral codes, including practicing celibacy.

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