Kanapaha Presbyterian Church Cemetery Policy
1) Right of Interment. Interment in the Kanapaha Presbyterian Church Cemetery (“the Cemetery”) shall be restricted to members of Kanapaha Presbyterian Church (“Church”), their spouses, their children, and family members of people already buried there, as well as persons who were active members in the past and have no other church affiliation.
2) Cemetery Management. Management of the Cemetery is under the direction of the Elder(s) responsible for Cemetery Management (“the Elder(s)”), who shall have the authority to approve all burials in accordance with this Policy. It is also the Elder’s responsibility to annually, in writing, remind all local funeral homes, monument companies, cremation services and other funerary businesses in the area that all requests for burial in the Cemetery must be directed to the Elder(s) for Cemetery Management.
3) Right of Burial Fee. Family members or authorized representatives may purchase a right of burial for eligible persons as approved by the Cemetery Management Elder(s) pursuant to (1). The Right of Burial Fee (“Fee”) can only be paid on an “as needed” basis and cannot be made in advance of such need. Burial locations cannot be reserved or otherwise selected prior to need with the exception of a person in Hospice care. A burial location may be selected at the time of need by a person with authority over final disposition of bodily remains (e.g., family member or acting funeral director). Full payment of the Right of Burial Fee must be made prior to the burial. There can be no refund of a Right of Burial Fee.
Right of Burial Fee Schedule:
Area Measurements Church Member Non-Church Member
Full Burial Plot 3 ½ feet wide by 8 feet long $500 $1000
Half Burial Plot 3 ½ feet wide by 4 feet long $250 $500
4) Acknowledgment of Fee Paid. Upon payment of the Fee, the family or representative shall receive an acknowledgement from the Church Treasurer or their designee showing the amount paid, specifying the location and plot size and number assigned. There shall be no deed issued, and no filing made in the County Public Records office.
5) Transfer of Right of Burial. Any request for transferring, selling, or assigning rights of burial must be made in writing to the Church Session, giving all information pertaining to the transaction. Approval for the transaction may be made only for people eligible under (1) above and shall be made in writing by the Session. This procedure is required in order that the Church may at all times have a complete and accurate record of all plots which have been reserved. The Session may refuse to consent to a transfer or to an assignment if the Right of Burial Fee has not been paid.
6) Ongoing Commitment. The Right of Burial Fee does not guarantee perpetual care. Family members, if able, in accordance with this Policy, are requested to physically maintain the plots of their deceased family member(s) and contribute financially on an annual basis to insure perpetual care in accordance with Item (14) of this Policy.
7) Plot Size. The single full plot size shall be 3 ½ feet by 8 feet. A casket and up to two cremation containers may be placed in a single full plot, or up to four cremation containers in a single full plot. The half plot size shall be 3 ½ feet by 4 feet. Up to two cremation containers may be placed in a single half plot.
8) Walls or Enclosures. To provide for ease of maintenance in mowing and navigating the grounds with undertaking equipment, no enclosures or plot walls shall henceforth be erected on the Cemetery grounds, beyond certain ancient, already existing, walled-off or fenced family plots.
9) Permanent Markers. A permanent headstone marker must be placed within 90 days of a burial in the Cemetery. The purchase and placement of the marker shall be the responsibility of the family or representative of the deceased. Any variety of sizes or styles may be used, provided they are made of a marble, granite, finished stone, or masonry material and generally consistent with existing markers in the Cemetery. Markers of unusual size or shape must be approved by the Cemetery Management Elder(s). The marker must bear, at a minimum, the name and dates of the deceased person. Metal funeral home markers are not deemed permanent markers and must be replaced by a permanent marker within 90 days of burial. The marker shall be placed in a general west-east orientation (headstone next to westernmost plot boundary). Only one headstone per single full plot or one headstone per single half plot will be permitted. Official Veterans markers, if in addition to another headstone, may be allowed.
10) Central Access Lane. The existing central access lane which permits access to all points of the Cemetery shall be designated a No-burial Zone. This lane shall retain a minimum width of 25 feet from the north wall of the existing Haile enclosure and running from the vehicle entry gate on the west to the large white cross near the center of the Cemetery on the east.
11) Survey and Planning Map. Upon receipt of a property survey of the Cemetery boundary lines, an alpha numeric identification of burial plots shall be drawn over an archival survey copy. This Plot Map shall be kept in the Cemetery File in the Church office for purposes of: 1) defining spaces to prospective members, 2) preserving accessibility throughout the Cemetery, and 3) maintaining accurate documentation of existing and future gravesites.
12) Landscape and Decorative Items. With permission from Cemetery Management Elder(s), minimal and tasteful permanent items, such as benches may be placed on or near plots and located so as to not impede mowing, maintaining, or navigating the Cemetery. A few grave goods, such as small statues, nicknacks, etc. may be placed at the marker but must be removed when broken or degraded by the elements. The placement of any lights, solar or otherwise, is not permitted. The Elder(s) retain(s) the right to move or remove articles deemed inappropriate, dangerous, or positioned such that accessibility to the property is compromised. Woody stemmed shrubs or trees require the permission of Cemetery Management Elders prior to placement in the Cemetery. This restriction does not apply to flowers, silk, cut, or planted. No boundaries around burial plots, including fencing, shrubbery, walls, outlines, etc. may be put in place.
13) Cemetery Income and Expenses Income and expenses for the Cemetery shall be specifically identified and reported in the monthly financial reports prepared by the Church Treasurer for the Session. Fees, donations or memorials designated for Cemetery Maintenance are to be used for Cemetery Maintenance.
14) Perpetual Care. An annual stewardship letter shall be sent by Cemetery Management Elders to Church members and families of persons buried in the Cemetery (to the extent possible), to request donations for maintenance of the Cemetery. All funds collected shall be reported as Cemetery income and used for the maintenance of the Cemetery.
15) Volunteer Work Days. In an effort to keep the costs of maintaining the Cemetery grounds to a minimum, Cemetery Work Days shall be scheduled and coordinated by Cemetery Management Elder(s) on an as-needed basis, and notice may be sent to Church members and families of all persons buried in the Cemetery, as well as to other interested parties.
16) Unmarked Graves. Every effort shall be made to locate unmarked graves that may exist. Any that may be found shall be permanently marked, placed on the map, and under no circumstances shall any remains be moved.
17) Security. The fence shall be maintained and the main gate kept locked, with the small side gates unlocked for visitors to use. The combination to the lock on the main Cemetery gate shall be kept by the Cemetery Management Elder(s), other Session members as needed, the Pastor, the Church Office and those persons responsible for maintaining the Cemetery.
18) Visiting. The Cemetery is hallowed ground. Visitors and families may come for quiet reflection, meditation, or prayer. Visitors enter the property at their own risk. Partying, camping, loitering, or dumping is strictly forbidden, and such abuses of the property shall be referred to law enforcement. The Church may hold appropriate events at the Cemetery as approved by the Session.
19) Right to Amend. The Session of Kanapaha Presbyterian Church hereby expressly reserves the right, at any time or times, to adopt new rules and regulations, or to amend, alter and/or repeal any rule or regulation in this Cemetery Policy. Notice of such changes to this policy will appear in the Church’s newsletter and be available on the Church’s web site.
Every living person feels a certain solicitude about the place of interment for their departed relatives. Therefore, certain grounds are set apart for interment in cemeteries. The heart's impulse is to keep the bodies that were dearest to each of us in life, nearest to us in the grave.
Committee Approval: 4-2005
Revised: 4/28/2016
Session approval: 4-16-05, 6-11/13, 04/28/2016
Addenda: NA
