COLUMBARIUM OF FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH of CARY. Agreement

Transcription

1 COLUMBARIUM OF FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH of CARY Agreement The Columbarium of First United Methodist Church of Cary is created on the premises of the church for the inurnment of the cremated remains of eligible deceased persons. It includes a Memorial Wall dedicated to the memory of eligible persons whose remains are buried or scattered elsewhere. This Agreement is established to assure that the procedures for inurnment and memorializing are carried out in an orderly and reverent manner, to describe and explain the services provided by the church in connection with these activities, and to describe the responsibilities of the reservers. DESCRIPTION: The Columbarium shall consist of niches for the inurnment of the ashes of cremated humans. Each niche shall be covered with a granite plate, uniform in size, which shall be engraved with the name(s) and dates of birth and death of the deceased. The Memorial Wall will be inscribed with the names of memorialized deceased persons, with dates of birth and death included if desired. ELIGIBILITY: The Columbarium shall be restricted to the inurnment of (a) members) of FUMC- Cary, (b) spouses of members, (c) children or stepchildren of members, (d) parents or stepparents of members, (e) current or past ministers of this church, and (f) other persons with strong ties to FUMC-Cary if approved by the Columbarium Committee after a written request. Plaques in the Memorial Wall and inscription of names on the Memorial Wall shall also be restricted to those persons listed above. RESERVATION OF NICHES AND PLAQUES: Niches within the Columbarium may be reserved only by members of this church and/or their immediate families as outlined above. The right to use a niche may not be sold or transferred without written permission of the Committee. Designation of the person to be inurned may be changed by a request in writing at any time 1

2 prior to death. A niche may be surrendered by the reservation holder only upon written notification to the church for a full refund, less the current administrative fee. Plaques in the Memorial Wall and inscription of names on the Memorial Wall of eligible deceased persons as outlined above will be recognized upon payment to the Columbarium Fund of FUMC-Cary according to the donation schedule prescribed by the Columbarium Committee. The legal title to all niches and plaques shall at all times remain with the church. Therefore, no ownership in the Columbarium and its property is involved. Each Columbarium niche will be assigned a specific number. Specific niches for the inurnment of cremated remains may be reserved by eligible persons upon payment of designated fees and execution of required documents at the time of reservation. A schedule of current required fees and payments is attached as Exhibit A to this agreement. Any niche not previously reserved may be selected by the reservation holder. A selected niche reservation may not be transferred to another person without prior written permission of the Committee. A contract form for the reservation of a Columbarium niche is prepared at the time of purchase. If an installment payment becomes past due and the default is not cured within sixty (60) days of written notice from the church to the reservation holder's last known address, the reservation shall expire and all previous installments shall be refunded, less the current administrative fee. REMOVAL AND TRANSFER OF ASHES: If ashes are removed there shall be no refund of any portion of the reservation price. Ashes may be transferred to the Columbarium and such transfer shall be subject to the restrictions outlined under the ELIGIBILITY requirements of this agreement: ABANDONMENT: A niche shall be deemed abandoned only after ALL of the following conditions have been checked and satisfied: The niche has not been used within 18 months of the date of death of the Reserver (or the last of the Reservers in the case of two). The next of kin does not respond to certified mail sent to their last known address. No response or objection is received within 90 days from the date of the certified letter. 2

3 If All of the above are satisfied, the reservation of the niche shall revert to the Committee and can be made available for reservation by another person. ADDRESSES: It shall be the responsibility of the reservation holder to keep the church advised at all times of the current mailing addresses of themselves, the person for whom the niche is reserved, and of the next of kin of the designee. The reservation holder will normally be the individual that the church would contact for any reason. INURNMENT: Memorial Services for the inurnment of cremated remains will be conducted by one of the pastors of FUMC-Cary or another pastor invited by the lead pastor of FUMC-Cary. Memorial Services will be offered in compliance with the church's approved policy for funerals and memorial services. Urns: The urns containing the cremated remains of the persons to be inurned in the Columbarium shall be provided by the deceased's family or legal representative, and the provider shall be responsible for the cost of each urn. A niche may contain one or two urns of deceased persons. The interior dimensions of each niche are 10 3/4" high x 11 1/4" wide x 11 1/8" deep. Costs: The cost of cremation is not covered by any fee paid to the church pursuant to this operating agreement. The church does not offer cremation services. No expenses other than those prescribed herein are covered by the prescribed fees. Niche Covers: Engraving of niche covers will be of uniform size and style as prescribed by the church. The church will provide for such engraving as a part of the fee prescribed in Exhibit A. Each niche cover will be inscribed only with the name(s) and dates of birth and death of the deceased. Niches containing the remains of two persons will be inscribed with such information for both persons. No other inscriptions will be permitted. No flowers, flags, decorations or other memorabilia will be permitted on the walls or walkways inside the Columbarium. UNIFORMITY: Uniform lettering will be used on all granite plate niche covers and plaques on the Memorial Wall. Each plaque on the Memorial Wall will have the inscription "In Memory Of followed by 3

4 the name only of the deceased person or one family unit (husband and wife). MEMORIAL BOOK: The Church has established a Memorial Book, which includes recording the lives of those memorialized in our Columbarium. Persons who have relatives and/or loved ones with niches or plaques are encouraged to prepare and submit a biographical sketch of the life and accomplishments of that person. It might be a newspaper obituary or a separately written item. It might include a photograph of the deceased. The book is loose-leaf and able to accommodate a variety of formats and presentations. Submission of this biographical information is purely voluntary. 4

5 EXHIBIT "A" First United Methodist Church of Cary Columbarium Operating Agreement RESERVATION PRICE AND PAYMENTS Reservation of a Columbarium Niche before 1/16/2014 $2, Reservation of a Columbarium Niche by Installment Reservations: a) $2700 ($500 down; $2200 to be paid within one year) b) $2800 ($500 down, $2300 to be paid over two years) c) $3000 ($500 down, $2500 to be paid over three years) Reservation of a plaque on the Memorial Wall $300 Administration Fee $50 Installment payments may be made monthly or annually. If an individual using the installment plan (or his/her designated family member) should die before the payment is completed, then the entire balance of payments will become due at the time of inurnment. Checks should be made payable to First United Methodist Church of Cary with "Columbarium Fund" in the memo ("for") section of the check. If for some reason, the Memorial Garden Columbarium is not built, there will be a full refund of all reservation fees. Purchaser signature Purchaser signature FUMC Representative Date: 5

6 The niche is reserved for Contact name Address Phone (01/01/2014) 6

7 Operating Procedures Columbarium Committee FUMCC The use, management and maintenance of the FUMCC Columbarium shall be supervised by a permanent committee of the church. Membership shall consist of six members elected by the Charge Conference, each serving a staggered three-year term, plus a representative from the Trustees and a representative from Finance. A member of the FUMCC staff may serve as an ex-officio member without vote. The chairman of the Columbarium Committee shall be named by the Charge Conference. The Committee will function under the general supervision of the Trustees and will report to them annually or more often as deemed necessary by the Trustees. The Columbarium Committee will have the authority to amend or modify the Agreement, which shall govern all activities and services relating to the Columbarium, subject to the approval of the Trustees and the Church Council. The Committee will ensure that a process is in place to keep complete records of all money received and disbursed. The Committee will work with the Church Finance Committee to establish a mechanism whereby the funds can be accounted for apart from the general church budget, and managed by the Committee. This fund will be entirely separate from the general church budget. Appropriate annual audits and reviews will be performed in accordance with the church's regular accounting procedures. All funds above the cost of construction will be used for maintenance and general upkeep of the Columbarium. Reserve funds will be used for such things as future expansion construction costs, beautification of the Columbarium area, periodic cleaning, etc. This fund will ensure that the Columbarium will be financially self-sufficient and will not become a financial burden on the church. If excess funds accumulate, the Committee may contribute money from this fund to the general church fund. The Committee will annually review the various charges listed on Exhibit A of the Agreement to ensure that they are in line with the costs of maintaining the Columbarium. Adjustments would require approval of the Trustees and the Church Council.

8 The Committee will ensure that there is a procedure in place to keep a record of each inurnment in the Columbarium, and placement of Memorial Wall plaques and inscription of names on the Memorial Tablets. The name(s) of the deceased in each inurnment, the deceased's dates of birth and death, and the deceased's next of kin or legal representative shall be included therein. The Committee or its designee shall also maintain a list of the persons who have reserved niches, together with the names and addresses of the next of kin or legal representatives of such persons. The Committee will communicate annually with purchasers of unused niches in order to keep their mailing addresses current and to avoid losing track of owners. A letter will be sent from the church office stating our desire to keep our records current. Church members and visitors to the Columbarium may have a desire to know about those whose names they will find within those walls. With the passage of time it will become more important that the lives of those honored dead be documented, both for record and for further memorialization. Accordingly, the church will establish and maintain a publicly displayed Memorial Book, which may include recording the lives of those memorialized in our Columbarium. Persons who have relatives and/or loved ones with niches or plaques are encouraged to prepare and submit a biographical sketch of the life and accomplishments of that person. It might be a newspaper obituary or a separately written item. It might include a photograph of the deceased. The book will be loose-leaf and able to accommodate a variety of formats and presentations. Submission of this biographical information is, of course, purely voluntary. The book is made available only to conform to the desires of those who wish to participate.