Columbarium

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Columbarium: A Sacred Space for Cremains

Financial Information:

  • A Single Niche (1 urn capacity) is $1500
  • A Double Nich (2 urn capacity) is $2000
  • These prices are valid until 12/31/23.

The purchase price includes: the cost of opening a specified urn(s), opening and closing the niche, engraving at the appropriate time, record keeping, and perpetual care. A granite faceplate on the front of the niche is provided for engraving the name and birth/death dates.

The columbarium will be financed through, and will be self-sustaining due to, the sale of niches. A budgeted number of niches must be sold before construction and ordering can commence. Purchasing a niche in advance guarantees the availability, price, and access; and is a part of pre-planning for death and one’s wishes about inurnment. Memorials and donations can also be made to finance and sustain this ministry.

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. What is a Columbarium?
    1. It is a permanent structure made up of spaces (niches) where urns containing ashes (cremains) can be placed. The word Columbarium is derived from a Latin word meaning “dwelling place of a dove”. In Christian tradition, the dove has symbolized the embodiment of the Holy Spirit.
  2. Why does Trinity United Methodist Church intend to provide a Columbarium within the church building?
    1. It is a way of expanding the ministry of the church, meeting the needs of individuals and families, and adjusting to alternative services at the time of death. Having the columbarium within the church building surrounds us and our loved ones with a symbol of God’s presence, in life and in death. It provides a manner through which we can honor our loved ones, surrounding their ashes with continual love, faith, and devotion of the church community.
  3. Where will it be located and what does it look like?
    1. The columbarium will be located in the sacred space between the east side of the Sanctuary and the Coffee Bar. The first unit will include 63 niches which will be available for purchase as a single (holds 1 urn), or double (holds 2 urns). There will be capacity for additional columbarium components on each side of the initial section, as needed.
  4. Why might one choose cremation and memorialization in a columbarium?
    1. The population has become more transient and scattered, cemeteries are becoming less local and church yard based, environmental impacts have become more of a concern, burial costs have risen. Cremation is becoming more and more commonplace. It is actually an ancient practice of hastening the natural process after death. Memorialization helps us to remember and be remembered.
  5. What if I reserve a niche and decide not to use it?
    1. A purchased niche may be sold back to the church with a moderate fee retained for administrative purposes, as specified in the contract. Niches may not be resold directly to another individual.
  6. What if Trinity closes or moves?
    1. The columbarium unit is self-contained and moveable.
  7. How might using the columbarium fit with other plans, services, and costs needed at the time of death?
    1. Columbarium and the corresponding contract only pertain to the inurnment of cremains. All other necessary services will need to be arranged and funded separately, such as cremation, costs of a funeral service/funeral home, etc.