The Memorial Garden
The Memorial Garden is a witness to the Christian belief in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ and to our assurance that we share in his resurrection to eternal life. It is a place of reflection where plaques in memory of members who have died are placed on the wall. Ashes may be interred in the garden if desired.
Interment of Ashes Service
Most commonly, a funeral service is held, and the cremation follows. If desired the ashes may be scattered or interred in the Memorial Garden during a brief Interment of Ashes service led by our Minister.
In the Memorial Garden, ashes are interred, that is, poured into the soil. The service includes the words, “earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust” in reference the words of Genesis 2:7 “the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being”.
Our Christian practice is to mingle the ashes with the earth. This is quite different from the practice in some public Crematoria where ashes are buried in the ground enclosed in a plastic container and may be recovered at the end of the contracted period and disposed of where the contract is not renewed.
The ashes mingled with the earth in the Memorial Garden are not subdivided, nor are records kept indicating where a particular interment occurred. It is therefore not possible to recover specific ashes later.
A plaque may be placed in the Memorial Garden even if a member has been buried in a Cemetery. Please note that plaques need to be ordered and paid for. When the plaque is ready to be put up you may wish our Minister to lead you in a short service of prayer.
If you want a service when a plaque is put up or want to arrange for ashes to be interred in the Memorial Garden, please contact the Office so that appropriate arrangements can be made.