A MANUAL ON HOW TO DO IT!
Phone: (480) 895-8766
Fax: (480) 802-0706
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"THE GARDENS"
Sun Lakes United Methodist Church
9248 East Riggs Road
Sun Lakes, Arizona 85248
Phone (480) 8958766 - FAX No.
(480) 8020706
"The Gardens" is
a memorial Columbarium for inurnment or scattering of cremated
remains.
The papers attached describe the operation,
the development, the management, and some of
the ways we have made the Church and
community aware of this service.
The Contents in order are:
Overview White
Brochure Blue
Subscription Blank
Yellow
The Local Church Introduction
White
The Plan with Niche Location
Chart Goldenrod
Instructions at Death
Blue
Master Contact Sheet
White
Contract Blue
Niche Agreement Yellow
Scattering & Plaques
Ivory
Information form for Subscribers
White
Protocol on Memorials
Pink
Section on Promotion
White
Dedication Service
White
"What Happens When
Death Occurs" Ivory
"Rekindling the Dream"
Blue
Scattering of Cremains
White
THE MINISTRY of
THE GARDENS
Ministry is the keynote word when
one thinks of a memorial gardens. The concept of serving
people is central to what is
offered in a memorial gardens. The whole staff and church are
tuned to help persons at one of their important life passagesdeath
and loss.
Helping in the loss experience is what the church does well. How does it work? Let me enumerate some ways:
HOSPITALITY
The church does hospitality. We put
ourselves in a position to aid in any way we can. For
example, the Sunshine Ladies
serve a luncheon or host a reception after the service. There
is no charge, but the family
may cover the cost of the food. Persons are encouraged to
donate to the church for usage
fees but are not charged if they subscribe to The
Gardens. Note too
the language we use "subscribers"
not clients, "cremains" not ashes, and "The
Gardens" not the columbarium.
SUPPORT
Stephen Ministry is assigned follow
up and help in the grief process. The church does not
need to give up its ministry
to hospice or anyone else, and we don't charge the family or bill
the government for services in caring. We are fully capable of
being professionals or we need to be! The clergy
certainly are fullyequipped to be of help to broker resources
because they are knowledgeable. We have learned too that the family
needs to participate in the grief process as fully as possible.
From the writing of the eulogy to the actual inurnment or scattering
of the cremains, we involve as many of family as possible.
RESOURCES
The Tuesday Troop provides people
to keep The Gardens
fresh and appealing. (These are
volunteers who give every first
and third Tuesday mornings to the upkeep of the church and
The Gardens.)
The ushers, musicians, custodial staff
are all related to The Gardens.
The secretarial staff are
clued in to how things work.
Everyone, members and staff alike, are part of the resource system
for The Gardens
Members are informed, and utilized in the service, upkeep, and
affirmation of The Gardens
Musicians receive a fee for their participation.
COMMUNICATING
If the church is to understand and
participate in The Gardens,
they must be full partners.
This is true of members and staff alike. Constant communication
about The Gardens
must be furnished. We inform all our people about The
Gardens in the monthly
inquiry classes, and we advertise in the three (3) local community
newspapers.
We are learning. This is what we have
found works:
#1 Seminars
Twice a year we
do community events that are free, advertised
to the public, and paid for
by The Gardens.
For example, What
Do I Do at
Death?(the bolder, the better!) Facing
Loss, or,
Necessary Losses, or
Aging and its Awards,
or The Economics of
Dying.
Get an expert; pay them; make a
presentation; furnish handouts
and refreshments, and at the end,
The Gardens.
#2 Use
Make The Gardens
a symbol of the resurrection.
Make The
Gardens
a happy place, a church
place. We use ours on Sunday
mornings as an outdoor fellowship
place. Gradually, people
associate friendliness with this
space. Weddings and outdoor
baptisms are done by the brook
in The Gardens.
(If you have
children, substitute a protected
fountain, and never leave
children unsupervised!)
Incidentally, bury cremains, don't scatter them. See the section on disposal of cremains in our manual on The Gardens.
#3
Relationship With Other Churches
Talk
to other clergy nearby and to funeral directors. Make The
Gardens
user friendly. Offer other
clergy part of the non
member fee for their discretionary
funds when they send one of
their people. Thank them!
#4 Funeral Directors
Work
with them! Make friends. Do not be in competition with
any of them. The funeral director
must participate in the
arrangements. Most of them recognize
that a certain percentage
of their clients prefer a church.
Be open to helping them out.
Be easy to work with, which with
some churches means
developing an awareness of the
needs of the subscriber, of
putting them in the center of care.
#5 Tax Deductible
Stay
away from this issue if possible. It seems to us to be an
unnecessary item. That is a private
matter as we see it right
now. We may pursue this further,
but have not requested a
determination todate.
#6 Economics
#7 Memorials
We find the family satisfaction
and identification with the church
is so high that they designate
significant memorials to the
church, as do the church people.
Publish this fact in the funeral
bulletin. Secretaries notify
family of all donors and of total
amount, not of individual donations.
We have learned also that
persons who have funeral elsewhere
but are related to our
Church, ask for memorial plaques.
Generally, we can't say enough about
the complete nature of the service in that the entire ministry
of the church is related. But that is true in Baptism and Marriage
as well. They are not a separated part of our ministry, but are
part of the whole of what we do, and who we are.
The Christian Church ministers to
the whole of persons in every aspect of their lives. Our language
and practice need to be examined on this basis. For example, who
is to be admitted to The Gardens? Who may request
use? We believe "Come unto me" means whosoever will!
We receive them graciously.
Marshall Lindsay, Pastor Emeritus
Sun Lakes United Methodist
Church,
9248 East Riggs Road,
Sun Lakes, AZ 85248
THE GARDENS COLUMBIUM
The attached documents. The Gardens
Agreement and Terms and
Conditions pertaining
thereto, should be kept in an accessible and safe place.
In case of death:
1. Notify the Church office (480) 8958766.
They will assist with the necessary
arrangements if you desire.
2. If arrangements are handled by
the family, inform the undertaker that a
Niche is
reserved at Sun Lakes United Methodist Church and deliver to
him the cremain container which
will be furnished by the Church and
which will be properly identified
by name and niche number.
3. If any memorabilia are to be placed
with the cremains. such as jewelry,
etc.. it should be done before
the container is sealed by the undertaker.
4. The sealed container is kept by
the family or funeral director until taken
to the Church at the time of
the service.
5. The Minister will arrange an inurnment
service at a mutually agreeable
time.
If the subscription is for scattering
(which includes a Memorial
Plaque), inform
the undertaker that the cremains should be placed in a disposable
cremain container, properly
marked and should be kept by the family or
funeral director until taken
to the Church at the time of the service. The
Minister will arrange an interment
at a mutually agreeable time, and the
engraving of the Memorial Plaque
and its installation will be handled by the
Church office.
Our Experience:
We have found from experience that cremains
poured or scattered on the ground are
not acceptable in a garden setting.
Further, cremains disposed of in a shallow
scattering, work their way back to the
surface of the rocks and present an unsightly
discoloration. They also become sticky
and compact under irrigation.
Here is our process:
A. Preparation of hole (Figure A - At End)
1.) We rake the stone layer away in a 12"
circle to the level of earth underneath.
2.) We dig a 16" hole with an auger,
saving one-half the dirt in a pail.
3.) Insert a plastic pipe, 6" diameter,
and tamp the soil firmly around the hole.
4.) Rake stones around to hold, cover with
a plastic lid.
B. Disposal of Cremains
1.) Remove plastic cover and pour cremains
in hole. (Have family do the
pouring.)
2.) Pour in dirt to bring even with top of
gravel bed.
3.) Then remove collar (plastic pipe) by
pulling on nylon rope, and allow stones
to collapse into depression.
4.) Finish by having family rake stones in
to cover depression remaining.
5.) Place welders rod in middle
of hole (end bent in circle) to identify the place.
May attach identity tag if
desired, but not necessary.
NOTE: We are Desert Landscaped, thus
the rocks, as opposed to dirt.
