A Vision Brought to Fruition

East Texas Baptist University’s Chapel on the Hill and Kenny Ponder Park are set to be completed for the Fall 2020 semester. The project broke ground in August of 2019 after an initial gift from the Ponder family of Marshall. The chapel and adjacent park will now serve as a dedicated house of worship to focus on the power of prayer, the sanctity of biblical marriage, and the celebration of loved ones.

Prior to completion, the unfinished walls of East Texas Baptist University’s new Chapel on the Hill were covered in heartfelt blessings of scripture and prayers from ETBU faculty, staff, and community members.

“Thanks to God’s provision through the benevolence of the Ponder family and many generous donors, our excitement continues to grow for the day when people will gather in this sacred space,” ETBU President J. Blair Blackburn said. “We have reflected on the moments of joy, sorrow, celebration, and reunion that will happen within the walls of the Chapel on the Hill and throughout Kenny Ponder Park. Our written and spoken Scriptures and prayers will herald and honor what God will do through this house of worship, and prayer, and fellowship. God's word and the prayers of his people insulate the walls of this symbol for Christ-centered education and the Lord’s providence on ETBU’s campus.”

Founders of Master WoodCraft Cabinetry and devoted members of First United Methodist Church of Marshall, Gene and Patsy Ponder, along with their children and grandchildren, initially donated funds to create a park area with gardens, a walking path, an arbor, and benches. Expanding on the original idea, the Ponder family later contributed additional funds to construct the Chapel on the Hill. The park is named in the memory of Kenneth Eugene Ponder, son of Gene and Patsy, who passed away in 2017.

“As Kenny’s mother, it means a lot to me that so many people are remembering him,” Mrs. Ponder said during the Scripture and prayer blessing. “Everything is beyond my expectations. This place is just beautiful, it’s exactly what we envisioned and more.”

Every aspect of the Chapel on the Hill and Kenny Ponder Park were designed with intentionality. Overlooking the gardens, pathways, and pond of Kenny Ponder Park, the Chapel will provide a sense of peace and serenity for faculty, staff, students, and alumni on any occasion. "This will be a place that will celebrate life,” Dean of Spiritual Life Scott Stevens said. “For some it will be a life well-lived, and for some it will be a new life together. We are providing a space here on campus because of generous donors where we can celebrate that and honor the Lord with it. It's about the opportunity we have to participate in the really important moments in people's lives, and there's been a space created here to do that."

The Chapel on the Hill will forever stand as a reflection of the Christian foundation of East Texas Baptist University as countless supporters, students, alumni, faculty, and staff

along with their families gather under the steeple for years to come.

“Psalm 119:11 says, ‘I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.’ Each one of us has the opportunity and responsibility to tuck God’s truths away in our hearts and minds each day so that our thoughts, words, and actions might be pleasing to Him,” Intercessory Prayer Ministry Coordinator Cari Johnson said. “I was encouraged to see our campus community extend this symbolism by ‘hiding God’s Word’ within the newly constructed walls of the Chapel on the Hill. As I scratched my Sharpie against the rough wooden two-by-six boards, letter by letter, I claimed God’s promises, and thanked Him for being so faithful and true. There is nothing magical about scripted beams behind finished sheetrock. However, there are miracles to discover when you intentionally bathe a project in prayers of surrender to the glory of God.”

East Texas Baptist University hosted a series of events for Spiritual Renewal Week February 17 through February 19. Themed “Choose Hope”, the week consisted of chapel services, Night of Worship, Concert of Prayer, and Student-led Worship.

“When we landed on the theme of “Choose Hope” for Spiritual Renewal Week 2020 we were thinking about students who have run out of hope based on their life circumstances,” ETBU Dean of Spiritual Life Scott Stevens shared. “Little did we know what was awaiting us in March with the advent of the coronavirus. I am so thankful that just before the pandemic hit, our students were reminded that our only hope is found in Jesus and that we can choose Him as our Lord and Savior. He is the Waymaker, Miracle Worker, Promise Keeper, and Light in the Darkness."

Todd Kaunitz, Lead Pastor for one of East Texas’ fastest growing churches, New Beginnings Baptist Church in Longview, kicked off the event at a chapel service, and followed up with another message during a special service later that evening. Kaunitz’ sessions emphasized community-focused thinking rather than individualistic thinking. He emphasized how God’s plans do not center around an individual but around the Christian community as a whole.

“The covenant community of faith says there are plans that God has for us, there is a purpose that God has for our lives. We have to see our lives, not in the individual purposes that we have, but rather as the greater community that

we're part of,” Kaunitz shared. “We’re a part of the covenant community of God. We have plans for our life that we want to accomplish and we ask God to kiss it and bless it and make it happen. We fail to realize that we have to see our life not through the individual plans that we have, but rather through the overall community that we are part of and the overall mission God has for our lives.”

Rage Ministries leader Ryan Fontenot also served as a guest speaker during Spiritual Renewal Week. He is the Founder and Lead Communicator for R.A.G.E. Ministries. R.A.G.E. (Reaching A Generation Endangered) exists to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus and to prepare the next generation to do the same.

The Concert of Prayer on Tuesday night featured performances by Alive By Sunrise with singer and frontman Cameron Theodos.

“Spiritual Renewal Week encourages me to have a mindset of the Spirit, like Romans 8:5 says,” ETBU Worship Coordinator Shelby Nallin commented. “It reminds me that the Lord brought me to ETBU according to His purpose and His good plan, not my own. Spiritual Renewal Week benefits the student body because we are given designated, uninterrupted opportunities to pray over the campus, to intercede for all who step foot on this campus, and to ask the Lord to help us die to ourselves and take on the likeness of Christ. Every year it is something that I will ever be so grateful for, including the staff efforts to make it happen because they love us.”