Interment Service

Most commonly, a funeral service is held and the cremation follows. At a later time the ashes are returned to the church – either by the undertaker or by the family – and a brief Interment of Ashes service is held in the Memorial Garden 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 maybe recovered at the end of the contracted period and disposed of where the contract is not renewed.

Because the ashes are mingled with the earth Memorial Gardens are not subdivided, nor are records kept to indicate where a particular interment occurred. It is quite inappropriate – indeed impossible – to recover particular ashes at a later date.

If you want to arrange for ashes to be interred in the memorial garden please contact the Office.

When the plaque is ready to be put up you are welcome to come and if you would like our Minister to lead you in prayer please let us know and we would be happy to arrange that.