COLUMBARIUM
The time of death is a difficult time of grief and transition.
A goal of St. Timothy Lutheran Church is to provide families with pastoral care directed toward healing and hope.
We believe interment on the Church grounds is a statement of our faith in the Resurrection and the Church Triumphant. Interment within the Church grounds is also an appropriate resting place for those who in life loved the Church.
IS CREMATION APPROPRIATE AND ALLOWABLE?
The concept of interment or burial in consecrated ground is both theologically and practically sound. If the church is the center of life for baptism, confirmation, marriage, and worship, then death and burial can be centered here as well. The early Christian tradition had the mortal remains of members of the Christian community located as near as possible to the place of community worship.
Cemeteries were commonly found in churchyards, allowing churches to minister to the spiritual needs of their members from baptism, through life, to death.
Theologically, cremation is not new and does not discount our understanding of the resurrection and life everlasting. Since there is little difference between the remains of one who has been buried and one who has been cremated, there is no reason to favor one over the other from a theological point of view. According to the Bible, at the resurrection we are given a “new body,” which also means that we will still be our own unique, individual selves.
Whatever burial method or location we may choose, we understand that the gift of eternal life is assured to all who believe. At St. Timothy, we are creating a place to entrust those we love to the presence and love of God.
WHAT IS A COLUMBARIUM?
Columbarium is derived from the Latin word “Columba” (dove), the symbol of the Holy Spirit and the Christian symbol of peace.
A Columbarium is a permanent structure composed of a collection of niches designed to house cremated human remains. The final disposition of bodily remains signifies our respect for the body of the ones we have loved. We commit the body to the grave or columbarium niche, but, more importantly, we commit our loved one to God.
MORE INFORMATION:
The Columbarium is a stand-alone project, financed by purchasers and benefactors, and maintained in a separate parish account apart from other Church finances.
This sacred space offers a place for reflection and prayer and includes 48 double niches. The choice of niches is by order of purchase. Flowers are not allowed around or on the Columbarium except on the day of the interment.
The double niches hold two cremation urns and the inscription on the plaque will be engraved with the name, date of birth, and date of death for two individuals.
Columbarium niches remain the property of St. Timothy Lutheran Church, and the purchaser is entitled to the use of the niche in perpetuity but not the right of ownership.
WHO IS ELIGIBLE?
Any present or former member of St. Timothy Lutheran Church is eligible.
Contact Dave Gillispie or the church office to discuss policy information or to make a purchase.
Prices and regulations are subject to change.
