UU Church of Chattanooga Memorial Garden

What is the Memorial Garden

The Memorial Garden of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Chattanooga is a quiet section of the churchyard set aside as a place of reflection for remembering loved ones and for the interment of their ashes.

What are the conditions of its use?

A. Church members, current contributing friends of the church, former church members, and members of their immediate families may have their ashes interred in the Memorial Garden. Exceptions to this policy can be granted by the Board of Trustees of the Church after receiving a recommendation on the requested exception from the Memorial Garden Committee.
B. A memorial membership fee must be paid or arranged for prior to inclusion on the Memorial Plaque (located in Livingston Hall) or interment of ashes.
C. The Memorial Plaque displays the name and date of birth and death of each person memorialized.
D. Permanent records are maintained and include the information on theMemorial Plaque as well as standard biographical information (when provided) for historical and family use.
E. Arrangements for the details of interment must be made with the Memorial Garden Committee. If the family desires an interment service in the Memorial Garden, it should consider possibly limiting the number of attendees due to space constraints and the traffic noise from the nearby highway. The church will not assume responsibility for the storage of ashes. Family participation is assumed in preparation for interment. Our UUCC Minister must be contacted directly by the family should his or her services be requested at the interment service.
F. Ashes must be buried in a biodegradable container and are not recoverable. This container is available from the Memorial Garden Committee. Although no marker is placed on the site of the interred ashes, a record is kept indicating that site.

Guidelines for the Family

Interment of Ashes

The Memorial Garden Committee of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Chattanooga has prepared the following Guidelines to assist families wishing to inter the ashes of a loved one in the Memorial Garden. Please direct any questions or concerns that you might have to the church’s Administrator at office@uucc.org. We will be glad to help.

We hope that the following Guidelines are useful.

  1. Payment of a memorial membership fee of $150.00 is required and includes display of the person’s name on the Memorial Plaque in the sanctuary and, if desired, interment of ashes in the Memorial Garden.
  2. You will need to speak directly to the Minister of UUCC if you wish the Minister to have a role in the interment of ashes. Please contact the church’s Administrator at office@uucc.org to arrange for this.
  3. The family will consult with a member of the Memorial Garden Committee to choose a spot in the garden for interring the deceased’s ashes. The space chosen will be 30 inches by 30 inches. This space will be designated with a letter and a number and that letter-number designation will be placed, along with the deceased’s name, on a plaque on the wall of the Memorial Garden.
  4. The family will be expected to arrange for digging a hole in the designated spot approximately 18 inches deep and wide enough to place a box containing the deceased’s ashes. The box must be biodegradable. If the family wishes, the Memorial Garden Committee can furnish a suitable box (7 by 7 by 7 inches) at no additional charge. In addition, a member of the Memorial Garden Committee will, if needed, try to help the family arrange for digging the hole. Since the ground in the garden is very hard, the hole should be dug no later than several hours prior to the interment of ashes. Recommended tools include a shovel, a pickaxe, and a posthole digger.