Memorial Garden

A Final Resting Place

Shall I be buried or shall I be cremated? When cremation is chosen, the second question becomes, where shall my cremains (ashes) be placed?

Throughout our lives as Christians, the church ministers to our spiritual needs. We are baptized into the church, nurtured by its teachings and fulfilled by service to Christ’s mission.  At the end of our lives, it is fitting that the church continues to meet our needs in providing an affordable final resting place for cremains. The Memorial Garden at First Presbyterian Church is designed to meet this need.

Members, their immediate family, and others affiliated with First Presbyterian Church may choose to have their ashes placed in the ground (interred) in our Memorial Garden.

A Symbol of Eternal Life

Prior to or following a Memorial Service, ashes are placed directly in the soil. The church office maintains a record of the approximate location of cremains. It is understood that the ashes, once placed, are intermingling with God’s creation.  The entire Memorial Garden is a place of remembrance and meditation, a living symbol of eternal life.

Our Memorial Book inscribed with the names of those interred in the garden is maintained inside the church. In addition, for those who choose, external signage in the form of a bronze plaque is also maintained in the garden itself.  Individual bronze ribbons noting the name of the deceased person, their year of birth and year of death are placed on a larger bronze sign.  All name plaques are a uniform size and type and are ordered by the church.

Costs

The cost for interment in the garden is $150.  This provides for preparation of the burial site  and maintenance of the garden plants.

For those who choose external bronze signage, there is an additional fee of $200 per memorial plaque. If fees present difficulty, assistance may be provided by church funds.