Q. What is a columbarium?
A. A columbarium is a structure provided for the placement of the ashes of the dead and can be either an interior or exterior structure. Ashes are placed in niches or compartments within the columbarium and are marked with a memorial plaque. Sometimes a church chooses to have a memorial garden in addition to or instead of a columbarium. Here ashes are either buried in urns (in marked places) or scattered in the garden (with a memorial plaque). Sometimes these projects include plaques to memorialize members of the family buried elsewhere. A columbarium is a place where the ashes of the departed may rest in peace and dignity within the shadow of the church.

Q.  Is cremation appropriate and allowable?
A.  The concept of internment or burial in consecrated ground is both theologically and practically sound. If the church is the center of life—baptism, confirmation, marriage, and worship—then death and burial should be centered here as well. Planning a hallowed place of interment or inurnment within or adjacent to the church revives the ancient Christian tradition of having the mortal remains of members of the Christian community located as near as possible to the place of community worship. The Presbyterian Church is fully supportive of cremation as an appropriate means of dealing with earthly remains. We believe that the body which is raised in the resurrection is a spiritual body; therefore the choice for either burial or cremation is appropriate in the Presbyterian faith. While either means may be chosen with confidence, the practice of cremation is becoming more widespread in that it is theologically and ecologically sound, as well as good stewardship.

Q. Why is a Columbarium being built at First Presbyterian Church?
A. There is an increasing awareness of the benefits of cremation, and through the Columbarium, First Presbyterian Church will provide its members a dignified, beautiful setting for housing the cremains, all at considerable cost savings.

Q. Who may use the Columbarium?
A. Inurnment in the First Presbyterian Church Columbarium is limited to present or past members of  First Presbyterian Church and members of their immediate families, including spouses, parents, grandparents, children and grandchildren.

Q. How many niches are in the Columbarium?
A. It depends on the initial response to the project. Initially there will probably be twice as many as are reserved. The design will provide for easy expansion.

 Q. How is the Columbarium being paid for?
A. The columbarium is being entirely self-funded through the niche reservation fee..Preconstruction reservations and gifts will be accepted.  When $20,000 has been collected construction of the columbarium will begin.

Q. How much does a niche cost?
A. Each niche, holding up to two urns, requires a reservation fee of $950. This fee includes opening and closing the niche for inurnment and perpetual care. It does not cover the cost of cremation, urns, or engraving of the niche facing.

Q. How much will the engraving of the niche facing cost?
A. The engraving of the niche facing will cost approximately $50.

Q.  What can be engraved on the niche facing.
A.  The name of the inurned, the birth year, and the death year.

Q. How much does cremation cost?
A. Prices vary widely, Contact the funeral homes in our area which offer cremation.  It will be much less expensive than conventional burials.  

Q. Is there a provision for member(s) unable to afford the cost of a niche?
A. Whenever he or she deems it appropriate, the session has the authority to discreetly excuse any part of or all the payment for a niche for anyone otherwise eligible. In these cases, the niche can be selected without prejudice from any of the remaining unsold niches by the person in need.

Q. What will the funds from the niche reservation fee be used for?
A. First they will cover the cost of constructing the columbarium. Additional funds will be used for the operation of the columbarium, its landscaping, and perpetual care. They will also be used for any future expansion of the columbarium.

Q. How can I arrange to purchase a niche?
A. All the information you need to learn about the Columbarium, the selection of a niche and submission of application forms are included in this website ( http://fpccolumbarium.qzxservices.com). Upon final acceptance of the application, a certificate covering inurnment reservation rights will be sent to the purchaser of the rights.

Q. May I select the niche that I want?
A. Niche assignments are controlled by the Columbarium Committee and are allocated in accord with the desires of each applicant on a first-come, first-served basis, determined by the date of receipt of a fully completed, paid-in-full application.

Q. If I have no family member with whom I wish to share a niche, will someone else's cremains ever be placed in my niche without my permission?
A. No. Normally, only a family member's cremains whom you select will share your niche. However, if two unrelated persons who are otherwise eligible for inurnment so choose, they may share a niche and its cost.

Q. What happens if I purchase a niche and decide later, for any reason, not to use it?
A. A Grantee may transfer the rights evidenced by the Columbarium Agreement to members of his or her immediate family but to no other person. In the event of any unauthorized transfer, the rights evidenced by the Columbarium Agreement shall become null and void and the niche shall revert to First Presbyterian. The columbarium fee shall be forfeited as liquidated damages.

Prior to use, a Grantee may at any time notify First Presbyterian that he or she no longer wants to be inurned in the columbarium and that he or she wants to terminate the Columbarium Agreement. If such termination is approved by the Session, upon written request, the columbarium fee shall be refunded to such Grantee.

Q. What if I decide to move and take my loved one’s urn to my new home?  Will I be able to remove it from the Columbarium and take it, or ship it, to my new location?                                                                                                                             A. Yes,  For a small fee the Columbarium can be opened and the urn removed.

Q. What if I have already made other burial arrangements?
A. Should you prefer inurnment at First Presbyterian Church Columbarium instead, you should contact the facility with which you made arrangements to learn how those arrangements can be terminated. Some refund should be due on services paid for, but in most cases you will need to sell burial plots or mausoleum slots.

Q. If I am a designated organ donor, will this delay cremation after my death?
A. No, organs for transplant must be harvested very shortly after death, so there is no appreciable delay in the availability of the body for cremation.

Q. Who administers the Columbarium?
A. The columbarium is part of the First Presbyterian Church and functions under the authority of the Session. A Columbarium Committee, appointed by the session and approved annually by the Session, oversees operation of the columbarium.

Q. Where did the word Columbarium come from?
A. The word "columbarium" comes from the Latin for dove or pigeon and refers, literally, to a place where doves or pigeons live; if you will, "Pigeon holes."

Q. If I have other questions, whom can I call?
A. You are encouraged to ask our Church office for a Columbarium packet, ask that the chair of the Columbarium Committee call you with additional information, or contact one of the committee members.

Q. If more people sign up for niches that there are niches available what will happen?
A. That will never happen. The initial number of niches will exceed the number of niches reserved. The columbarium is designed to be easily expandable.

Q. Must I reserve a niche now?
A. No. Niches can be reserved at any time but people are urged to sign up for a niche now to help the committee decide on the initial size of the columbarium.

Q. If the columbarium is not built, what will happen to the niche reservation money?
A. It will be returned to the donors.