60 – Mapping Our Sacred Geography
A weekly blog of Creative Ideas for Leading Worship
Mapping Our Sacred Geography
Making Prayer Local
What if your congregation could see prayer taking shape on the very streets they walk each day?
Here is a tactile, visual way of rooting worship in the real world. It invites people to connect their spiritual life to the places they live, work, and wander – revealing that God’s presence is not confined to the sanctuary, but woven into neighbourhoods, schools, parks, shops, and footpaths.
The idea is simple. Begin by sourcing a large, clear map of your immediate area – your suburb, town, or city. Mount it on a noticeboard, wall, or table where everyone can access it easily. Set out small sticky dots, push-pins, or miniature flags in a range of colours.
Description
During the worship, introduce the map as holy ground. This isn’t just a collection of streets and labels – it’s the sacred geography of your shared life. Invite people to approach the map and place a marker on a location that needs focused prayer.
This might be:
- A street where someone is unhoused
- A school facing hardship
- A hospital under strain
- A business closing down
- A home where grief is fresh
Or – and this is just as important – it could be a site where something beautiful recently happened:
- A community garden flourishing
- A neighbourly act of kindness
- A reconciliation between friends
- Children playing safely in a park
Some might mark places they pass by every day and barely notice. Others may choose spots from memory, even if they haven't been there in years. The point is to let the congregation see prayer mapped out in real space and time – a cartography of concern and grace.
Congregational Action
As markers accumulate, the map begins to tell a powerful story: not just where your people live, but where their hearts are pulled. You might choose to cluster prayers by colour – red for grief, blue for hope, yellow for celebration – or simply let them mix, unlabelled, as a visual echo of the complexity of life.
Encourage people to linger at the map, praying silently as they stand before it. Or set up a microphone nearby where individuals can name aloud a place they’ve marked and offer a brief prayer.
This activity is especially effective in all-age worship. Children are quick to name playgrounds, schools, or familiar shops. Adults may choose more hidden or sensitive places. Together, the whole congregation claims the map as sacred.
Physical Objects
- Large printed map of the local area (laminated for re-use if possible)
- Sticky dots, push-pins, or mini flags in different colours
- Table or easel for display
- Optional: pens to write brief notes on some markers
Closing Thought
In a world of disconnection, “Mapping Our Sacred Geography” makes prayer tangible and local. It reveals that the Spirit is already at work on our streets – and that our calling is not just to notice, but to join in. One dot at a time, we begin to see our neighbourhood through the eyes of prayer.
Ngā mihi
Philip
p.s. For a related idea, see post 58 – The Sound Map of the City. You could perhaps use both exercises in one service.