Word rocks share the faith

Painted rocks of inspiration are hidden in plain sight

By Donna Frischknecht Jackson | Presbyterians Today

Robyn Myers

This past Lent, residents of Anacortes, Washington, found faith. Others found love. No, there wasn’t a Holy Spirit revival sweeping through the community. Rather, it was a revival of another kind — a word rock revival. And the woman behind the inspirational rocks was Robyn Myers. A member of Westminster Presbyterian Church, Myers has fond childhood memories of painting rocks and then hiding them out in public for others to find. So, when she found herself on the beach one day thinking of what mission she could do for Lent that was COVID-19 safe, she was inspired by the rocks in the sand. Myers collected 46 rocks, one for each day starting with Ash Wednesday and ending with Easter. She painted them with flowers and rainbows and phrases such as “You got this.” 

She then took the rocks and “hid” them in places where they could be easily seen, like outside a restaurant or near a bench. Many of the rocks found their way in a city park, nestled near tree stumps yet still visible to those walking on the path.

Myers, who found the act of painting a time of personal contemplation, also prayed for those who would find the rocks. Now that Lent is over, Myers observed that this activity would be a wonderful summer project for congregations.

Donna Frischknecht Jackson is editor of Presbyterians Today.

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