Memorial Garden Expansion
“Where Earth Meets Heaven” by the Rev. John B. Burruss
“And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also.” – John 14:3 (NRSV)
When Hanna Dewitt (mother of parishioner Ruth Follett) died in October 1982, her children requested that she be buried on the campus of Saint Stephen’s and the family planted a tree in her honor. The Rev. Doug Carpenter recalls that when Hanna was buried, the family gathered on the grounds for a long time, with Ruth’s children telling stories of their grandmother.
Years later, a playground was to be constructed at the location of her ashes. As Doug writes, “I called (Ruth) to tell her of the situation. Perhaps we could move her mother’s ashes and the tree to a new location. Later that day, she called and told me that the entire family thought it would be absolutely wonderful to have a playground directly over Hanna’s ashes in that place where we had all sat on the ground and told stories about her. When I hung up, I leaned back in my chair not bothering to fight back the tears.”
Few things in life are as certain as death. In John’s Gospel, Jesus sits down with his friends the evening before his own death to comfort them, and to remind them that he is going to prepare a place for them. For Christians, death is not the end, but part of life, and our faith in Christ is the promise that God is always with us. In Paul’s letter to the Romans, we are reminded that “neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39). How we care for our church community through death is a faithful response to God’s promises.
About 10 years after Hanna’s death, the current location of the Saint Stephen’s Memorial Garden was chosen. In the mid-1990s, the memorial wall was constructed. Since then, Saint Stephen’s has grown as a congregation. Over the past few years, several people every year have been interred in the Memorial Garden. At some point in the past 10 years, the memorial wall ran out of space. In response to this, the more expansive memorial project that was first envisioned at the 1993 vestry retreat is now being fully embraced.
Now, almost 30 years later, at the 2022 vestry retreat, the vestry tackled a new dilemma – how to grow the Memorial Garden to meet the needs of a growing congregation. In 2019, a committee was gathered to begin addressing these needs. In 2021, after considering several other architects, this group commissioned John Wilson of Golightly Landscape Architecture to design these new elements in our Memorial Garden. As Wally Evans explains, “John was chosen because of his creative approach to our property and his understanding of the desire to preserve the sacred beauty of our church campus.” Angelika Evans, who also served on the committee, believed John was most suited to make sure the garden is the place “where earth meets heaven.”
In January 2022, our vestry approved a plan that includes a columbarium for 100 families, a memorial wall that can hold over 500 names, and an improved area for the entire Memorial Garden, including a water feature given to the Glory of God in memory of Gordon Robinson, built by his son. Much preparation remains to be done, but the vestry hopes we will break ground by Summer 2022.
For Wally, this project is about honoring our loved ones the best way we can. Saint Stephen’s hopes this is another step in that direction.
New Memorial Wall
The plans include the construction of two new walls. One wall will mirror the existing wall and hold space for 48 new names with a similar stone etching as the current design.
The new Woodland wall will hold over 500 names in bronze and will be placed in chronological order.
Columbarium
The new Columbarium includes 100 niches that can hold up to two sets of remains. Specific niches are purchased and the plan does allow for purchasing of a half niche.
Currently, the vestry is reviewing policies and customaries and should have updated policies around the columbarium in mid-August 2022.
A half niche will be available to purchase.
Fundraising and Timing
Saint Stephen’s anticipates that 80-90% of the $806,000 needed will come through fundraising and 10-20% through the sale of plaques and niches. This will create a scenario where the future sale of niches and plaques over time and after the construction of the memorial garden will create an endowment fund to care for the Memorial Garden in perpetuity.
We are in the Fundraising phase. due to the extreme generosity of our parish, we have raised $760,000 of the $806,000 needed. This includes a matching gift of $250,000 to finish our project.
Construction is slated to begin in the fall of 2022 and last approximately 8-10 months.