COLUMBARIUM
What is a Columbarium?
The
word Columbarium refers to a place designated for the inurnment of the
ashes of
the dead. Since the earliest days of the Christian Church, disciples
have been
concerned with the reverent disposal of the remains of the faithful
departed.
Such remains were typically placed in cemeteries, crypts and columbaria
set
apart, that is blessed, for this purpose. Logically, the most treasured
location for such reposition was within the church grounds.
In
our confessions we affirm that "In life and in death, we belong to
God."
The First Presbyterian Church
Columbarium and Garden reflects this belief and confession.
The Garden is
an integral part of the life of our faith community, being a place for
group gatherings,
small group study, fellowship activities and play.
Romans
14 affirms: "If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die,
we die
to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the
Lord's. For to this end Christ died and lived again, so that
he might be
Lord of both the dead and the living." In this Garden, we
affirm
life in the Lord by celebrating and embracing all aspects of our
communal life,
and at the same time, we affirm that even in death, we rest in the arms
of
Christ and Christ's Church. We are at all times surrounded by
"so
great a cloud of witnesses."
I.
Memorial and Columbarium Committee
First
Presbyterian Church does at all times have full control of the
Columbarium and
Garden. Such control is exercised through a Memorial and
Columbarium
Committee. The initial Columbarium Committee, which was
formed to study
and make recommendations to the church, will serve with the Memorial
Committee
members for the first three years after completion. This is
to provide
for a suitable transition from construction into the years of operation
and
management.
At the
end of the first three years, the Session will appoint five members to
serve on
the Memorial and Columbarium Committee. The Memorial and
Columbarium
Committee includes two elders, one member from the Presbyterian Women,
One
member from the Men of the Church, and one at-large member.
Each
member serves a staggered three-year term, with terms to be drawn for
the first
board. The Senior Minister and the Chairperson of the
Property Committee
serve as ex-officio members with voice but without vote.
The
Chairperson of the Memorial and Columbarium Committee is elected by the
members
of the Memorial and Columbarium Committee for a one-year
term. The
Memorial and Columbarium Committee functions under the general
supervision of
the Session and reports to it annually or more often as deemed
necessary.
The
Memorial and Columbarium Committee has the authority to make all
decisions
about plantings or furnishings in the Garden, and they
approve any and
all changes or additions to the Garden area. All requests are
submitted
to the committee in writing and considered by the committee.
They
recommend any and all amendments, changes or modifications to these
operating
rules, which govern all activities and services relating to
the
Columbarium and Garden, subject to the approval of the Session.
II. Description
The
Columbarium consists of niches uniform in size of the capacity to hold
the
cremated remains (cremains) of one (1) or two (2) persons for
inurnment.
Each niche is covered with a granite plate, uniform in size, which is
engraved
with the name(s) and dates of birth and death of the deceased.
The
Garden is available for the burial of ashes. There will be a
Memorial
Plaque to list the names of those whose cremains are buried in the
Garden. There will also be a Plaque of Remembrance for those
who are
buried or whose cremains are scattered elsewhere, provided there is no
marking
of the remains elsewhere.
Both the
Columbarium and Garden are for the inurnment or burial of human
cremains only.
III. Eligibility
The
Columbarium and Garden is restricted to the interment or inurnment of
ashes of
member(s) of First Presbyterian Church, spouses of members, children or
step-children of members, parents or step-parents of members, current
or past
ministers of this church. Other persons with strong ties to
First
Presbyterian Church may be deemed eligible, if approved by the Memorial
and
Columbarium Committee after a written request and further Session
approval. Past members who reserved niches while members of
First
Presbyterian Church maintain their eligibility.
IV. Reservation
of Niches and Plaques
Reservation
for inurnment in niches or burial of ashes, or for the Memorial Plaque
or
Plaque of Remembrance may be made only by those eligible as set forth
above. The reservation may not be transferred to any person,
except an
eligible person as defined above, or back to the First Presbyterian
church, without
the concurrence of the Memorial and Columbarium Committee.
Designation of
the person to be inurned or memorialized may be changed by a request in
writing
from the holder of the reservation at any time prior to
death. A
reservation may be surrendered by its holder upon written notification
to the
Memorial and Columbarium Committee, with 90% of the original fee
returned to
the reservation holder.
THE
LEGAL TITLE TO ALL NICHES AND PLAQUES DOES AT ALL TIMES REMAIN WITH THE
CHURCH.
Specific
niches, identified by number, for the inurnment of cremains may be
reserved by
eligible persons upon payment of designated fees and execution of
required
documents at the time of reservation. A schedule of current
required fees
and payments is attached to these rules. The Memorial and
Columbarium
Committee may change these fees in the future upon approval by the
Session. Any niche not previously reserved may be selected by
the person
making the reservation. A contract form for the reservation
of a
Columbarium niche is attached to these rules.
V.
Cancellation
In
the event that no inurnment has occurred within five years after the
death of
the person to whom a Certificate of Reservation has been issued, and
upon no
response after 90 days of a certified letter sent to his/her last known
address, and/or the addresses of known family members, the Session may
terminate the reservation upon recommendation of the Memorial and
Columbarium
Committee.
VI. Management
The
church will receive all payments
and disburse all expenditures in a separate account to be known as "The
Columbarium Fund" apart from and entirely separate from the Memorial
Fund,
and both entirely separate from the general church budget.
The
Columbarium Fund will repay the initial $17,500.00 to the Memorial Fund
once
the balance of indebtedness is fully paid by disbursing $500.00 from
the
reservation of each niche to the Memorial Fund. No money will
be returned
to the Memorial Fund until the total indebtedness is paid.
Appropriate
annual audits and reviews are performed on both funds in accordance
with the
church's regular accounting procedures. Any surpluses in the
Columbarium
Fund after the Memorial Fund is repaid go to the perpetual maintenance
of the
Columbarium and Garden.
The church
maintains a record of each inurnment in the Columbarium or burial of
ashes in
the Garden, and placement of names on the Memorial Plaque and Plaque of
Remembrance. The name(s) of the deceased in each burial or
inurnment, the
deceased's dates of birth and death, and the deceased's next of kin or
legal
representative are included therein. The church also
maintains a list of
the persons who have reserved niches or have made arrangements for
burial of
cremated remains, together with the names of the next of kin or legal
representatives of such persons.
VII. Addresses
It
is the responsibility of the holder of the reservation to keep the
church
advised at all times of the current mailing addresses of themselves,
the person
for whom the niche is reserved, and the next of kin of the designee or
legal
representative. The holder of the reservation is normally the
individual
that the church would contact for any reason.
VIII. Interment
and Inurnment
Funeral
or Memorial Services for the interment or inurnment of cremated remains
are
designed by the Minister(s) in consultation with the family of the
deceased. Only the ordained ministers of First Presbyterian
Church or an
ordained minister approved by the Senior Minister of First Presbyterian
Church
are authorized to officiate funeral and/or memorial services.
The family
may also elect not to have a service at the time of inurnment or
interment.
Urns:
The containers for the cremated remains of the persons to be inurned in
the
Columbarium are provided by the church, as these urns are designed to
fit
inside the niches. Each niche may hold one or two urns with
cremains.
IX. Cost of
Cremation not covered
The
cost of cremation is not covered by any fee paid to the church pursuant
to
these operating rules. The church does not offer cremation
services. No expenses other than those prescribed herein are
covered by
the prescribed fees.
X. Niche Covers
Engraving
of niche covers and plaques is of uniform size and style as prescribed
by the
church. The church provides for such engraving as a part of
the fee
prescribed in the Fee Schedule. Each niche cover is inscribed
only with
the name(s) and dates of birth and death of the deceased.
Niches
containing the remains of two persons are inscribed with information
for both
persons. No other inscriptions are permitted.
No
flowers, flags, decorations, or other memorabilia are permitted inside
the
Columbarium and Garden, except for a single flower arrangement, if
desired, to
be placed near the niche or the burial site on the day of the burial
service. The church also marks November 1, All Saints Day, as
a
decoration day for flowers to be placed in the Garden.
XI. Memorial
Plaque and Plaque of
Remembrance
There
will be a Memorial Plaque for the names, dates of birth and death, for
those
eligible persons whose cremated remains are buried in the
Garden. There
will be a Plaque of Remembrance for the names and dates of eligible
persons
whose remains are scattered or buried elsewhere, provided their remains
are not
marked elsewhere.
XII. Change in
Property Ownership
It
is the intention of the Church that this property will not be relocated
to any
other alternate site at any time. However, the Church
reserves the right
to move the Columbarium, including niches already in use, to another
location
within the church grounds, or in the case of future relocation of the
church,
to that new site. All care will be exercised if such a
relocation does
occur.
XIII. Release
All
holders of certificates, on behalf of themselves, their heirs,
successors and
assignees, release the Church from any and all liabilities arising as a
result
of unauthorized removal of cremains or vandalism of niches and/or their
contents. The inclusion of valuables of any kind in the
niches is
prohibited so as not to invite such vandalism.
XIV. Property
No
real-property right is created or conveyed by the approval of an
application or
the acceptance of a contribution. Approval relates only to
the use of
space as provided for herein.
If you would like to read a sermon by Jaina Anderson on cremation, click here.
