LPPC Memorial Garden
On
September 26, 1999, during a special service, LPPC dedicated the new
Memorial Garden to the founding families of Las Placitas Presbyterian
Church.
The Memorial Garden provides a location for LPPC outdoor services, a place for a stroll after church or during concert intermissions, or simply a way to spend a quiet moment of solitude in contemplation during the day.
The plan of the Memorial Garden also offers a range of options for memorialization of residents of Placitas as well as members and friends of the church.
The garden is open to all for such purposes.
The History and Making the LPPC Memorial Garden
LPPC Memorial Garden was designed by landscape architect Bill
Hays, with hardscape construction by Patrick Finnegan, planting plan by
Judith Phillips, and irrigation by Joe Neas. An ad hoc committee of the
church supervised the work and raised the funds for installation between
1997 and 1999.
The Memorial Garden Design and Layout
Beginning at the west parking lot a Southwestern arched garden entry leads into the garden via a paved walkway to the steps of the old church and to the brick patio outside the entrance to the fellowship hall. Opposite the patio is a seating area where large weeping junipers shade three stone benches. Along Paseo de San Antonio, the low split-rail fence is covered with vivid Austrian copper roses.
Moving through the garden on a wide pathway of Santa Fe brown crusher fines, one finds beds containing native, drought-resistant plantings, most of which were supplied by the late Aspen Evans of the Santa Ana Nursery. Aspen's memorial plaque can be found near the old apricot tree in the south bed. Plaques throughout the garden indicate commemorative gifts of structures, trees, or other plantings.
Among the trees planted in the garden are Gambel oak, desert willow, pinon pine, purple robe robinia, and Oklahoma redbud. Shrubs are mountain mahogany, fernbush, Apache plume, and sage, among others. Decorative plants include various penstemons, a variety of grasses, red yucca, pussy toes, prostrate sumac, and vinca.
Key Features of the Memorial Garden
In the Memorial Garden is a circular Worship Area, with stone benches, a pulpit, and a pond. Nearby is the Meditation Area overlooking the garden. Behind the pond is a granite slab bearing the inscription "For the Lamb in the midst of the throne shall be their shepherd and will guide them to the springs of living water and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes" (Rev. 7:17).
The Columbarium is located to the left of the pond with 12 niches for the interment of ashes. To the north of the worship area is the Memorial Walk. Mounted on the north building wall is a Founders Plaque commemorating the founding families of LPPC, and on the east wall, a Memory Board where small plaques with the names of loved ones can be installed. The bed opposite the Memory Board, may be used for the scattering of ashes.
Irrigation
It was very important that the Memorial Garden be made as a
demonstration of low water use, an important consideration in New Mexico. Accordingly, drip irrigation is used throughout. Irrigation water is pumped
into the drip system from a 1500-gallon holding tank, fed by the acequia
during the church's "water day." Many now consider this approach to be a
model solution for home gardeners in Placitas, who are barred from using
domestic water for irrigation. This method allows the Memorial
Garden's rather large area to be irrigated with a tiny fraction of the volume
allocated by the church's water rights.
Stewards of the Memorial Garden
The Memorial Garden is cared for by volunteers, or Garden Stewards, who are members and friends of LPPC, under the supervision of the LPPC Grounds Committee. The Stewards typically gather for a couple of hours on four Saturday mornings during the growing season for planting, pruning, weeding, raking, emitter-checking, and pond-cleaning. Structural, electrical, or irrigation repairs and improvements are handled by outside contractors.
Information on work days plus bulletins on garden doings are sent to all Garden Stewards. Anyone wishing to participate should contact the Grounds Committee Chairperson through the church office at 867-5718.
Options for Memorialization
To remember loved ones at LPPC, some may choose a memorial as part of a traditional funeral service held in the sanctuary; others may prefer a service outside in the garden; and still others may wish simply to have a small plaque installed. There is provision for the scattering or interment of ashes in a garden bed, or inurnment in the columbarium.
The church wishes to provide the greatest flexibility possible in helping families in their remembrance of loved ones. To discuss services and memorialization options, please contact our Pastor through the church office at 867-5718.
The Columbarium
For those who choose internment of cremated remains, the Memorial Garden's Columbarium, installed in a mossrock wall near the pond, provides 12 niches. Each niche has a brass plate for the name and dates of the decedent. Additional columbaria will be added in the Memorial Garden when the need arises. An information sheet providing details on reserving space and other matters is available in the church office. The cost is $800 for a single niche, or $600 each for two or more niches.
The Scatter Bed
Cremains may be scattered in the bed along the Memorial Walk. There is no charge for this kind of interment.
The Memory Board
The large bronze plaque mounted on the east wall of the church, along the Memorial Walk, contains places for individual cast bronze inserts to be installed to memorialize not only those who have recently passed away, but also those who may have passed away some time ago. The cost is $250 for an insert in the Memorial Board. There are no restrictions on who may be memorialized in this way.
Memorial Gifts
Memorial plaques placed in the garden indicate a gift of a special feature, such as a bench, a tree, or a large planting. The cost is $250 for the plaque, in addition to the cost of the gift. For monetary gifts, a Memorial Donation Fund was established by LPPC. Please call the church office at 867-5718 for more information.