Mission
Statement
CHRISTUS Good Shepherd Health System – Marshall
is excited to provide its first therapeutic outdoor environment
for the general health and well-being of our patients, their
families, our associates and the community as a whole.
Thanks to the generous donation of Gene and Patsy
Ponder, the Kenneth E. Ponder Prayer Garden will be located on
the north side of the hospital, anchored by the oak tree planted
in 1956 by Lady Bird Johnson.
Framed on two sides by
hospital wings it will have a direct view of the historic city
park and iconic downtown Marshall.
A terraced area
fenced by brick pillars and garden gates will be accessible from
the main entrance of the hospital, featuring a flowing water
feature, private reflection areas and lush plantings.
Winding walkways will allow for casual strolls
through the plaza for all to enjoy the colorful flowering
borders, fragrant seasonal florals, and native East Texas
landscape.
Enjoy all four seasons of healing and health
with areas of sun and shade.
Standing tall in the heart of the
garden will be the Jesus Footprints statue, reminding us all
of the healing ministry of Jesus Christ.
The Kenneth E. Ponder Prayer Garden is a place of
rest and renewal, prayer and solitude.
It
is a commitment to the community of roots being planted and
growth being nurtured.
CHRISTUS Good Shepherd Health System, a Catholic
health ministry of CHRISTUS Health, will be a leader, a
partner and an advocate in the creation of innovative health
and wellness solutions that improve the lives of individuals
and communities so that all may experience God's healing
presence and love. Your gift to the Healing Garden will
ensure those roots are planted firmly and will continue to
grow for years to come.
4x8
Bricks:
Gifts of $100 are
recognized
with an engraved
brick
up to 3 lines with 18 characters per line.
8x8
Bricks: Gifts of $200
are
recognized
with an engraved
brick
up to 7 lines with 18 characters per line.
Future site:
Outdoor Therapy Area and
Healing
Garden.
The soil is the great connector of lives, the source and
destination of all. It is the healer and restorer and
resurrector, by which disease passes into health, age into
youth, death into life. Without proper care for it we can have
no community, because without proper care for it we can have no
life. ~Wendell Berry, The
Unsettling of America: Culture and Agriculture
