Memorial Garden

The Memorial Garden Committee is responsible for oversight and maintenance of the Memorial Garden, which is a spiritually appropriate place for inhumation/interment of cremains and a place of solitude for prayer. The committee can assist bereaved families with interment arrangements.

Recognition Day 2005

Sunday, July 24th will be Memorial Garden Recognition Day, and the congregation is invited to enjoy outdoor fellowship in the Memorial Garden.

At the conclusion of the worship service, the front doors of the sanctuary (nearest 10 Mile Road) will be opened to let us stroll through the Garden on the way to the parking lot.

Take advantage of this opportunity to enjoy the beauty of the garden in full bloom. Feel free to wander, or linger as long as you'd like on one of the benches. Cookies and bottled water will be provided. (If you don't finish your water, feel free to share it with the flowers.)

The Memorial Garden committee looks forward to enjoying the peace and beauty of the Garden with the congregation on Recognition Day.

PROCLAMATION REGARDING THE MEMORIAL GARDEN

At the March 21, 2004 service, the Memorial Garden Committee presented a framed proclamation to the congregation. This was in appreciation of the resolution of ongoing support adopted by the Session last year. The proclamation, which will hang in the narthex, says: "Resolved: that the Memorial Garden is an integral part of Christ's ministry at Faith Community Presbyterian Church of Novi, Michigan, and on behalf of the congregation, we pledge our dedication to the continued care of the Memorial Garden, from generation to generation, in a dignified and loving manner." This resolution was beautifully written in calligraphy by committee member Sherri Guyot, who added panoramic photos displaying the Garden in vivid fall colors. In addition to thanking the church for its commitment, the Committee acknowledged the individuals who have supported this entirely self-funded endeavor over the years. More help is always welcome, so if you'd like to help keep the Garden beautiful, please see any Committee member about planting, weeding, or contributing to the endowment fund. The first workday of the spring is planned for Saturday, May 15 (rainout date: May 22).

HOW DOES YOUR GARDEN GROW?
PART ONE

Since the first spadeful of earth was turned 16 years ago, the Memorial Garden at Faith Community has been a special place... not just for remembering loved ones, but also for prayer or quiet contemplation. Its lovely, peaceful setting must be experienced to be fully appreciated, and it serves as a constant reminder of the renewal of life.

The Memorial Garden is not a cemetery, but a resting place for the cremains (ashes) of church members and their families... and others, with permission. You'll find it just outside the church's office door, presenting a colorful array of flowers, trees, and shrubs every spring, summer, and fall. In the center, displayed on a stone wall, is a plaque for each person interred over the years.

The flowers, trees, and shrubs are planted and cared for by the Memorial Garden Committee, which also handles internment arrangements. The Garden is supported primarily by personal contributions... no funding comes from the church budget or from members' pledges.

Maintaining the Memorial Garden is a labor of love. If you'd like to help keep it in bloom, the committee welcomes new members, new plants, and volunteers to pull weeds once in awhile. You can also remember a loved one with a donation, which will enhance the beauty of the Garden for all to enjoy.

PART TWO

A memorial service for Ruth Hendricksen, who passed away in March, was held May 3 in the Memorial Garden. Many members may not realize that we have Ruth to thank for the large symbol on the church that identifies the building from Ten Mile Road.

Ruth and her late husband, Don Hendricksen, Sr., joined Faith Community in October, 1984. Their son, Don Hendricksen, Jr., joined soon after, and grandson, Kirk, was confirmed here in 1988.

After Don, Sr.'s cremains were interred in the Memorial Garden in 1989, Ruth arranged to donate the symbol in his memory and have it mounted on the church exterior.

Don's service was the second to be held in the garden, which had been dedicated just a year earlier. Ruth's service was the nineteenth. A plaque for Ruth will be mounted near Don's on the Memorial Garden wall, and their gift to Faith Community will greet passersby for years to come.

PART THREE

A lot of hard work and ingenuity has gone into the Memorial Garden over the years. The best example of the latter may have been in creating the big mound behind the wall.

It takes a lot of dirt to fill an area 25 feet wide and 2 feet high, not to mention money to buy it. But the Novi Town center was being developed at the time, so Jane Shillito - without whom there would never have been a Memorial Garden, set out for the jobsite.

She knocked on the door of the construction trailer in the pouring rain and suggested to a surprised foreman that he'd go to heaven if he could spare some dirt. The next day, a huge truck arrived at the church, drove up to the garden and dumped its load. Jane and her fellow gardeners then moved it, one wheelbarrow at a time.

Thanks to Jane's simple solution, we had somewhere to plant trees and the project stayed on schedule. The Memorial Garden was dedicated May 29, 1988.

PART FOUR

When it rains, it pours... but somehow it always seems to miss certain flowers and shrubs in the Memorial Garden. So some of the funds generously donated to the Garden were used this summer to upgrade the sprinkler system.

Some of the existing sprinkler heads were relocated for better coverage, and the system was extended to include the area that was added last year. Now we don't have to drag the hose through the Garden nearly as often!

The committee is grateful to Jim Galloway for including this project on his long to-do list. We also appreciate Mike Carter's initiative to add our Loaves and Fishes articles to the church website. And thanks especially to everyone who got down on their knees to pull weeds from the Garden this summer - those we know of include the Anans, Corwins, Jason Fox, Galloways, Langhams, Simpsons, and Jane Shillito.

Finally, we pause in memory of Irene Stojak, whose cremains were interred August 24th near those of her late husband, Dick. Irene passed away last November, after a long illness. The Stojaks joined Faith Community in 1998 and were active in the Prime Timers. They discovered the Memorial Garden when Dick was asked to put up a plaque there, and loved it. He died in 1999.

Sill Garden

Have you ever wondered where the term 'seed money' comes from? Actually, we don't know either, but there's no better example than this story from the early days of the Memorial Garden.

It concerns Don Sill, a long-time member of Faith Community who was very active in the church until his death in 1999. One Sunday, years ago, Don walked up to Jane Shillito between church services and handed her a check for $500. He told her the Memorial Garden Committee should use the money any way they wished.

This unexpected gift led to the four semi-circular plots on the west side of the Garden, which contribute so much color throughout the year. Known collectively as the Sill Gardens, the plots feature an assortment of annuals that changes every spring. Appropriately, Don's cremains were interred with them on May 16, 1999.

The Sill Gardens in full bloom will always be vivid reminders of Don and his generosity. Not to mention as literal an example of "seed money" as you'll ever find.