Tom Clarke serves the community as the information technologies director at the Cayuga County office of the Partnership for Results agency.
Jill Connor / The Citizen
Tom Clarke, the caretaker of the Gethsemane Prayer Garden across from the Faith Chapel in the town of Onondaga, draws similarities between the garden''s cosmos flower and human traits. He points out the way the pink and white flower, shown on the right, bows its head when wet to imitating humility; bends its stem in light wind, showing flexibility, and breaks its stem in heavy wind, showing its vulnerability. But it doesn't die from the break, instead it continues to grow at a broken angle.
Tom Clarke, the caretaker of the Gethsemane Prayer Garden across from the Faith Chapel in the town of Onondaga, draws similarities between the garden''s cosmos flower and human traits. He points out the way the pink and white flower, shown on the right, bows its head when wet to imitating humility; bends its stem in light wind, showing flexibility, and breaks its stem in heavy wind, showing its vulnerability. But it doesn't die from the break, instead it continues to grow at a broken angle.
He also serves God and his neighbors as the creator and caretaker of the Gethsemane Prayer Garden in Marcellus. The Partnership for Results networks with area schools and social agencies to provide training and support for school resource officers and to provide services such as violence prevention, counseling and crisis management.
The prayer garden was designed to be a point of contemplation, a place to be alone with God surrounded by the beauty of trees, bushes and flowers.
“This is a place where you can open your heart to God. This is an outdoor sanctuary,” Clarke said.
The garden is situated on the grounds of the Faith Chapel Church in the town of Onondaga, approximately three miles east of Marcellus on Route 175. The entrance to the garden is framed by a white metal arch with attached benches. A gravel path leads in curves to the various sections of the garden.
Begun in 2003 with only two flower beds, the garden now comprises nine separate beds containing flowers that bloom throughout the seasons. A brook has been developed into a watery border at the rear of the garden. Plaques have been placed in certain key areas. One reads, “Be still and know that I am God.” Clarke said a wooden sign is being built for the entrance that will declare, “Gethsemane Prayer Garden: A Garden of Love.”
“We started with a small section in the center,” said Clarke. “It has been a growth process since then. This is not just a flower garden. This place gives us the opportunity to relax and enjoy the presence of the Lord.”
On his Web site, www.prayergardeners.com, Clarke highlights a different flower for certain months of the year. August featured hyssop, a variety of which is part of the prayer garden. Making a connection between the plant and the Bible, hyssop was used to hold a sponge soaked in vinegar that was given to Jesus when he thirsted on the cross.
Clarke worked as a landscaper earlier in his career and enjoys employing his skills in that field in his daily Christian life. Through Faith Chapel, he has helped to found a school of landscaping, where teenage boys and girls can learn a marketable skill and earn extra money.
The students learn plant identification, design principles and lawn and garden maintenance.
Clarke invites people from all denominations, or none, to visit the prayer gardeners' Web site and, of course, the garden itself.
The prayer garden was designed to be a point of contemplation, a place to be alone with God surrounded by the beauty of trees, bushes and flowers.
“This is a place where you can open your heart to God. This is an outdoor sanctuary,” Clarke said.
The garden is situated on the grounds of the Faith Chapel Church in the town of Onondaga, approximately three miles east of Marcellus on Route 175. The entrance to the garden is framed by a white metal arch with attached benches. A gravel path leads in curves to the various sections of the garden.
Begun in 2003 with only two flower beds, the garden now comprises nine separate beds containing flowers that bloom throughout the seasons. A brook has been developed into a watery border at the rear of the garden. Plaques have been placed in certain key areas. One reads, “Be still and know that I am God.” Clarke said a wooden sign is being built for the entrance that will declare, “Gethsemane Prayer Garden: A Garden of Love.”
“We started with a small section in the center,” said Clarke. “It has been a growth process since then. This is not just a flower garden. This place gives us the opportunity to relax and enjoy the presence of the Lord.”
On his Web site, www.prayergardeners.com, Clarke highlights a different flower for certain months of the year. August featured hyssop, a variety of which is part of the prayer garden. Making a connection between the plant and the Bible, hyssop was used to hold a sponge soaked in vinegar that was given to Jesus when he thirsted on the cross.
Clarke worked as a landscaper earlier in his career and enjoys employing his skills in that field in his daily Christian life. Through Faith Chapel, he has helped to found a school of landscaping, where teenage boys and girls can learn a marketable skill and earn extra money.
The students learn plant identification, design principles and lawn and garden maintenance.
Clarke invites people from all denominations, or none, to visit the prayer gardeners' Web site and, of course, the garden itself.
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liberal karl wrote on Sep 12, 2009 12:10 PM:
They would offer "rehabilitation" services that were actually discriminatory proselytizing programs which favored convicts who would convert to Christianity, and excluded others who wanted the help but didn't convert. They were eventually stopped by the Supreme Court.
I hope this isn't following the same model. I get suspicious whenever I see one of these "youth ministries" dressed up as "rehabilitative programs". "