MemorialGarden & Columbarium
Aldersgate United MethodistChurch
1320 Umstead Road
Durham, North Carolina
The Aldersgate Memorial Garden & Columbarium shall be hallowed ground, sacred to the memory of those who have departed from our midst. This peaceful, welcoming MemorialGarden provides a final earthly resting place and a quiet place for visitation and meditation.
The Administrative Board of Aldersgate United Methodist Church has officially
designated an area of the church property located at 1320 Umstead Road, Durham, North Carolina, as a MemorialGarden for the inurnment of cremated
remains of the human-dead.
The burial area is to be managed by a Memorial Garden & Columbarium Committee composed of six (6) members, appointed by the Lay Leadership Committee of the Church, and a Board of Trustee representative. In addition, the current Senior Pastor and Secretary of the Church shall be ex-officio members of the Committee
POLICIES, RULES AND REGULATIONS
The following policies, rules and regulations are adopted by the Memorial Garden & Columbarium Committee of Aldersgate United Methodist Church pursuant to their appointment by the Administrative Board for the regulation of burial in the MemorialGarden & Columbarium of AldersgateUnitedMethodistChurch.
No part of these policies, rules and regulations shall be suspended, repealed, annulled, altered, or amended unless such change is proposed in writing, presented to the MemorialGarden and Columbarium Committee, and approved by a majority vote of the Administrative Board. The Memorial Garden & Columbarium Committee shall review the policies and costs periodically and submit recommendations to the Board of Trustees as changing conditions may require.
1. ELIGIBILITY: The Columbarium shall be restricted to the inurnment of
(a) members(s) of Aldersgate United Methodist Church, (b) spouses of members, (c) children or stepchildren of members, (d) parents or step-parents of members,
(e) current or past ministers of this church and their spouses, and (f) other persons with strong ties to Aldersgate United Methodist Church if approved by the Memorial
Garden & Columbarium Committee after a written request.
2.DESCRIPTION OF USE: Burials will be limited to inurnment of ashes of cremated humans only in Assigned Niches, uniform in size of the capacity to hold the remains of two (2) people. Each niche shall be covered with a marker, uniform in size, which shall be engraved with the name and date of birth and date of death of the deceased.
The church reserves the right to designate niches that may be divided into half niches. Each of these designated ½ niches may be purchased by a single individual at a reduced cost outlined in the fee schedule. Individuals purchasing half a niche understand they will have individual containers for inurnment but will share a common plaque space with another individual.
3. RECORDS: A plan showing all burial niches shall be kept in the Church office. With it shall be recorded the name of the deceased, dates of birth and death, and next of kin of each person whose cremated remains are interred in the Columbarium.
It shall be the responsibility of the reservation holder to keep the Church advised at all times of the current mailing addresses for themselves, the person for whom the niche is reserved, and for the next of kin of the designee.
4. RESERVATION OF NICHES FOR INURNMENT: Assigned Niches for inurnment in the Columbarium shall be assigned upon down payment or full payment at the time of the reservation. The reservation of a niche and full payment gives the right to inurnment of cremated remains. Ownership of the niche(s) is reserved to the Church and is not conveyed to the purchaser or to the individual to be interred.
Any person or persons eligible under these rules and regulations may apply for a reservation of a niche by paying the Church in full or a down payment of $750.00 per niche at the time of executing the contract. The applicant must pay the remaining balance per niche within three (3) years of the date of contract. Down payments for reserved niches not converted to full reservation status as required by these rules are non-refundable to the applicant.
5. CONTAINERS: A simple container for the cremated remains of the person to be placed in theAssigned Niche in the Columbarium shall be provided by the Church. The cost for the container is included in the cost of the niche. A more elaborate container will be temporarily provided by the Church for visitations and services.
6. MARKER: Each Assigned Niche will have an engraved inscription on the marker (niche cover), according to the provisions in Paragraph 7 below, which shall be included in the cost of the niche.
7. INSCRIPTIONS: The Church will contract for the engraving of the niche covers. The cost of the engraving is included in the cost of the niche. Only the name, date of birth and date of death will be engraved (as per sample below). Engraved inscriptions on the Assigned Niche marker shall consist of the Christian name of the inurned person, date of birth and date of death.
Note: Not drawn to scale.
8. PLANTINGS AND DECORATIONS: The Church shall maintain the grounds and other areas of the MemorialGarden. No flowers, flags, decorations or other memorabilia will be permitted inside the MemorialGarden, except on the day of inurnment.
9. COSTS: The Church is not responsible for cremation costs or funeral home charges, but the Church is responsible for the initial opening and closing of the Assigned Niche, the inscription thereon, and the perpetual care of the burial site. ALL FEES MUST BE PAID IN FULL BEFORE THE INURNMENT.
All openings of niches other than for inurnment shall be done only upon written request by a person’s immediate survivors and for just cause, as authorized by the Trustees and Columbarium Committee. There will be a fee of $100.00 to open the niche after inurnment.
FEE SCHEDULE
Reservation of Columbarium Niche$2,000.00
Early Reservation (through June 30, 2013)
Paid in Full$1,500.00
Reservation of Columbarium Niche by Installment Reservations
First Payment$ 750.00
Rest To Be Paid in Three (3) Years(includes $100 fee)$1,350.00
Reservation of ½ Columbarium Niche$1,000.00
Early Reservation (through June 30, 2013)
Paid in Full$ 750.00
Reservation of ½ Columbarium Niche by Installment Reservations
First Reservation$ 500.00
Rest To Be Paid in Three (3) Years(includes $50 fee)$ 550.00
Memorial Plaque$ 300.00
Memorial BenchVaries Upon Selection
Scattering of Remains in MemorialGarden 0
Arrangements for reservation of niches will be made through the Church office. Checks should be made payable to AldersgateUnitedMethodistChurch with Columbarium Fund” in the memo section of the check.
10. SITE CARE AND MAINTENANCE: The Church will maintain the MemorialGarden and Columbarium, free of trash and debris and in a manner as to present a clean, dignified appearance at all times.
11. DISPOSITION OF ASHES: It is understood and agreed that it is the responsibility of the family members or other authorized persons of the deceased to deliver, or cause to be delivered, the ashes to be interred to the Church. Once the ashes have been delivered into the care of the Church, it is the sole responsibility of the Church to inter the ashes in the designated niche under the direction of an Aldersgate pastoral staff member.
12. MEMORIAL PLAQUE: There will be a Memorial Plaque for the names, dates of birth and dates of death of those whose cremated remains are scattered within the MemorialGarden, by or under the supervision of the AUMC pastoral staff, or scattered / buried elsewhere, and who meet the eligibility requirements as described in Paragraph 1above. The fee for this service will be as prescribed in the Fee Schedule under #9.
13. CARE OF REMAINS: The Church will make a reasonable effort to protect the niches in the Columbarium and all urns deposited therein, using the same care that it uses to protect other parts of the Church grounds. However, the Church assumes no responsibility or liability for any damage sustained to the niches or containers or their contents. If the Church is moved to a different location, or the present Church edifice is demolished, or the ownership of the Church property is transferred by the Church Conference, or the Memorial Garden facilities are discontinued, it shall be the responsibility of (a) the Memorial Garden & Columbarium Committee and Board of Trustees, in conjunction with the Church Conference, to make arrangements with the new owners of the property or to provide facilities comparable to those now existing for the redepositing of the containers committed to the Church’s care insofar as they are reasonably able, and (b) the Memorial Garden & Columbarium Committee, with the assistance of the Church Secretary, to make a reasonable effort to locate and notify surviving heirs as to the new location and to afford them the opportunity to remove an urn.
14. SURRENDER, REMOVAL or ABANDONMENT:
A. Surrender.The holder may elect to surrender the purchased niche if no cremated remains have ever been inurned in the Assigned Niche. In this case, the holder must make the request in writing to AUMC. The Church will refund 75% of the original purchase price upon the sale of the next niche.
B. Removal. Cremated remains are the property of the family or estate of the deceased. If cremated remains from one or both persons listed on the contract have been inurned in their Assigned Niche and the survivors wish to remove all the cremated remains, rights to the Assigned Niche will revert to the Church, with no compensation due to the holder’s estate. The action to remove cremated remains shall be communicated to the Committee by the next of kin / executor in writing.
C.Abandonment. If the Church is unable, after exercising due diligence, to contact the owner of a contract for a three year period of time, then the Church may void the contract. After a contract has become void, the Church will have the right to issue a new contract to new purchasers. The owner of a contract which has become void will not be entitled to a refund of the fee.
D. The contract may not be sold or transferred to a third party.
Aldersgate United MethodistChurch
Durham, N.C.
APPLICATION / CONTRACT
(The completed application, along with check, should be submitted to the Church Office. Please print name(s) as they will be engraved on niche)
Name:
LastFirstMiddle Date of Birth
Name:
LastFirstMiddle Date of Birth
Address:
I acknowledge receipt of a copy of the Policies and Procedures (2012) established by the Columbarium Committee of the AldersgateUnitedMethodistChurch, and agree that acceptance of this Application shall form a contract according to those Policies and Procedures and any subsequent amendments thereto.
I hereby apply for (check one)
Adopted: 2/3/2013Page 1
A Niche (#)
½ Niche (#)
Memorial Plaque
Scattering Cremains
Adopted: 2/3/2013Page 1
In accordance with the fee schedule in the above referenced Policies and Procedures, payment in full is enclosed of $ Dated:
In accordance with the fee schedule in the above referenced Policies and Procedures, down payment is enclosed of $ Dated:
The remaining balance of $Will be paid by:
The above-named person(s) meet the eligibility requirement as defined by the paragraph 1 of the Policies and Procedures as
A member of AldersgateUnitedMethodistChurch
A relative of a member of AldersgateUnitedMethodistChurch
Name of member:
A former pastor of AldersgateUnitedMethodistChurch
APPLICANT SIGNATURE:
Date:
Adopted: 2/3/2013Page 1
ALDERSGATE UMC ACCEPTANCE OF APPLICATION / CONTRACT:
AUMC Columbarium Committee
Date:
AUMC Trustee
Date:
Adopted: 2/3/2013Page 1