Our Savior Memorial Garden

Christians have long since marked hallowed grounds (often near a church) as a resting place for the earthly remains of believers, awaiting the Day of Resurrection. They are places of peace, love, and faith, filled with anticipation of a future reunion.

Jesus said, “For this is the will of my Father: that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have eternal life. And I will raise Him up on the Last day” (John 6:40). The Day of Jesus’ return and the resurrection of our bodies is a certain hope for all Christians, based on Jesus’ own promise and Easter example. Christians believe “in the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting,” which means that for those who die in Christ, there are no forever goodbyes in Him.

Overview

Statement of Faith
We believe that Jesus, the Son of God, died on a cross and rose from the dead to overcome the power of sin and death.  In John 11:25 Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die.”  The free gift of eternal life is ours by grace, through faith in Jesus Christ.
 
Purpose of the Garden
The Memorial Garden is a place for personal reflection, prayer and meditation.  The committal area is for the burial of ashes of Our Savior members, their families and Christian friends of Our Savior as determined by the Senior Pastor.  Cremains are placed in an unmarked location during a committal service conducted by a pastor of Our Savior Lutheran Church.  The cremains become a permanent part of the Memorial Garden soil.  (If desired, an authorized, biodegradable container, may be used to bury the cremains.)
 
Remembrance
The name, date of birth, and date of death will be engraved on a plaque and added to a special Memorial Garden display, near the entrance to Our Savior Lutheran Church.  By signing a  consent form, additional personal information may be added to the digital Memorial Garden Registry on the website maintained by the church.  No individual markers or remembrances will be placed in the garden.
 
Fees
A burial fee of $500 for OSL members, $750 for non OSL members will cover the cost of burial of the cremains, personal information inscription on the plaque, and future maintenance of the Memorial Garden. 
 
Funding
Individuals and groups will have the opportunity to donate to the Our Savior Memorial Garden Fund for purchase of the items selected for the creation of the Memorial Garden.  Ongoing memorial garden burial fees, directed through the Memorial Garden Fund, will support future costs associated with garden maintenance.
Policies and Procedures
 
• An Application form for the burial of human cremains in the Our Savior Lutheran Church Memorial Garden is available in the church office during regular business hours and on the church website under Memorial Garden. Please return the completed form to the church office.
• Current members of Our Savior Lutheran Church will automatically be accepted for burial of cremains in the Memorial Garden. An Our Savior Lutheran pastor will contact the family to make specific arrangements for the interment service to take place.
• A member of Our Savior Lutheran Church shall request burial of cremains for a family member who wishes to be buried in the Memorial Garden. An Our Savior Lutheran pastor must authorize interment of a family member’s cremains and will contact the family to make specific arrangements for the committal service.
• Friends of Our Savior Lutheran Church must receive authorization from the Senior Pastor of Our Savior Lutheran Church for the burial of cremains in the Memorial Garden and make specific arrangements for the burial service with him.
• A Pastor of Our Savior Lutheran Church must officiate all committal services for cremains to be committed to the grounds of the Our Savior Lutheran Church Memorial Garden.
• The Committal Service may immediately follow a Memorial Service in the church or be an independent burial service in the Memorial Garden.
• A biodegradable container, authorized by Our Savior Lutheran Church, may be used to bury the cremains. These are not provided by the church, but can be obtained through a funeral home. Cremains may also be placed directly in the soil. All cremains become a permanent part of the Our Savior Lutheran Church Memorial Garden.
• No individual markers, stones, bricks, plantings, monuments, decorations, etc. may be added to the Our Savior Lutheran Church Memorial Garden grounds. No pets may be buried in the Memorial Garden.
• General Memorial Garden donations and burial fees shall be made through the Our Savior Memorial Garden Fund, not to be confused with general Memorial donations.
• A Consent Form is to be signed to permit the personal information to be added to the website digital Memorial Garden Registry maintained by the church.