Westminster Memorial Garden
Westminster Memorial Garden |
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Westminster Presbyterian Church Home > Memorial Garden |
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For Christians, the care for our physical remains after death is a matter of personal preference. The Apostle Paul gives this witness of the resurrection to eternal life: “What is sown is perishable, that is raised is imperishable . . . It is sown a physical body, it is raised a spiritual body . . .” (1 Corinthians 15:42, 44). Neither divine precept nor natural law forbids the reverent cremation of human remains. The Memorial Garden provides the opportunity for the cremains of Christians to be reverently laid to rest in a hallowed place. Funeral and memorial service planning suggestions are available in the rack in the entry to the fellowship hall. The Memorial Garden is located on the west side of the church next to Saint Andrew’s Hall. Entry is through wrought iron gates at either end of the Garden. The Garden is a circular courtyard surrounded by low walls and plantings of ornamental shrubs and flowers. The Memorial Plaque is located on the church wall on the north side of the Garden. Each person’s ashes will be buried directly in the soil in an undesignated location. Ashes will not be retrievable for removal to another location. At the time of interment a short prayer service will be conducted by a minister of the church. Ordinarily, family members are present at the time of interment. It is the family’s responsibility to inform the funeral home to send the ashes to the church for interment. Arrangements for interment can be made through the church office or by contacting a minister. When possible, they should be made well in advance of need, so that decisions can be calm and devoid of a sense of emergency. Those wishing to use the Memorial Garden must sign the Memorial Garden Agreement prior to the interment of ashes. A copy of the Agreement is available from the church office. A bronze memorial plaque is located on the exterior wall next to the Memorial Garden. After interment, an engraved name plate will be secured to the plaque. In addition, a permanent record listing the names of the persons whose ashes are buried in the Garden is maintained in a Memorial Garden Book of Record. No memorial markers are placed in the Garden itself. Families may wish to designate the Memorial Garden for memorial contributions. Those eligible for interment of ashes in the Memorial Garden include members of Westminster Presbyterian church, a spouse, parent, grandparent, child, grandchild, brother or sister of a member. Other requests, initiated by members, will be considered on a case-by-case basis by the Session or a committee designated by the Session. Financial considerations: The fee includes interment of ashes, an inscribed nameplate and an entry in the Memorial Garden Book of Record. |
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Westminster Presbyterian Church |
From earliest times, churches and churchyards have served as places of interment, as a witness to Christ Jesus, the Resurrection and the Life. In keeping with this tradition, Westminster Presbyterian Church has established a Memorial Garden to inter cremains of loved ones and to provide a place of peace and beauty for all to enjoy. What better site for a final resting place than near a church that has held meaning during life? This church offers the Memorial Garden as a service to the congregation.