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Grounds prepared for Memorial Prayer Garden at Faith Lutheran
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Wednesday, 09 July 2008
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Jennifer Larson
Community Editor
The vision of creating a Memorial Prayer Garden at Faith Lutheran Church has long been in the process, but just last month the grounds were being prepared to begin its construction.
Three trees, from the area on the south side where the garden will be, were moved on June 17.
According to Sue Gort, one evergreen and two maples were relocated to other parts on the church site. Bever Landscaping has been contracted to landscape the garden.
The Memorial Prayer Garden will provide a quiet, beautifully landscaped place for use by members of Faith Lutheran Church and friends in the community.
The garden plan features trees, shrubs and perennials with engraved pavers, benches and a fountain. In addition, there will be a columbarium and memory wall; both have been ordered.
A single columbarium will be constructed at this time, and contain 112 niches that hold the urns of saints who have passed away.
“The families have been waiting for the columbarium to be completed,” said Gort, who serves on the Memorial Prayer Garden Steering Committee with Gwen Hansen and Carol Martin.
Currently, she said the cremated ashes of the saints, or church parishioners, are being kept at Roberts Family Funeral Home.
The preparation of the granite and construction of the steel columbarium will take approximately four to five months. Schultz Construction will be laying the foundations for two columbaria and a memory wall.
Gort said there are different sizes so an individual or couple can be interned. She noted that the niches will be secure.
“There’s no way anything can be harmed,” Gort said.
The idea for the project at Faith Lutheran Church began in the Fall of 2004 when a challenge was made to the 28 small groups studying Rick Warren’s best-selling book, “A Purpose Driven Life.”
The challenge was to find an area of interest and continue studying and learning. One group chose to pursue the construction of a Memorial Prayer Garden with a columbarium.
A task force was formed in 2005 to work on the concept. And in the Spring of 2008, the Forest Lake City Council passed an ordinance allowing for construction of the columbarium.
The congregation authorized the construction, not to exceed $145,000, at a special meeting on May 11. The project is being funded fully by private donations and fund raising.
Dedication of the garden is scheduled for All Saints Sunday on Nov. 2, 2008.
The worship service will be in the sanctuary. Those attending will proceed to the Memorial Prayer Garden for the dedication.
The committal service for three saints – Barb Voedisch, Doug Stottler and Mark Hansen – will then take place.
A reception in the North Lobby will follow. The public is invited to join Faith Lutheran Church in the celebration.
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