What Are the Steps to Building a Columbarium at Your Church?
A columbarium presents a beautifully sacred way to honor loved ones after they are gone, providing a final resting place for their cremated remains. Since 2015, cremation has become the end-of-life choice preferred by more Americans than a traditional burial. Columbarium Planners has helped churches and cemeteries by designing and building spaces to house the urns of those who choose cremation. You may have some questions about how to make this a possibility for your own church, and we’ll go over the steps in our process that we typically help lead churches through to achieve this.
The Planning Phase
Once your church leadership has decided to proceed with acquiring more information about building a columbarium, we will partner with you to plan every detail. We will help you to identify practical issues and other concerns you may need to consider, such as maintenance, appearance, security, the logistics and procedures for the urn placement service, the number of urns permitted in each niche, policies for the purchase and assignment of niches, and rules for inscriptions.
Determine the Location
The next thing that we will need to discuss is the factors that will affect where to locate the columbarium. We will help you determine whether you want an indoor or outdoor columbarium, how visible you want it to be, and the proximity and access relative to the sanctuary, parking, and so on. You will need to take noise considerations into account, future columbarium or church expansion possibilities, and implementation phasing. Lastly, we will help you develop approximate cost expectations and budgeting.
The Construction Phase
After months of planning and conceptualizing your unique columbarium, we will have the information necessary to proceed with construction. We are very meticulous in choosing the materials used in the building process, especially since most columbariums are located outside. You can rest assured that no oxidizing materials are ever exposed to the elements, no pre-fab construction is used, and no plastic is ever used. Our caring team will be focused on creating a custom visual reminder to bring peace to the families and friends represented.
Request Information Today
Columbarium Planners will always focus on building a relationship first, as we listen to you and learn what is important to you in the creation of this space. We understand that every family would like to handle the passing of a loved one in a way that best represents their values and the person’s legacy. You can call us today at (910) 295-8328 or request information now, and we will be ready to help you begin the process. Located in North Carolina, we build columbariums in the eastern half of the United States, including South Carolina, Virginia, and beyond.