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Natural

Burial

Join us on Tuesday, April 28, at 6:30pm at the Harrison Bridge Campus for a Natural Burial interest meeting. Our hope is to provide clarity, answer your questions, and help you feel informed.

Grace SC / Next Steps / Care & Recovery / Natural Burial

Honoring

Life

What is a natural burial? Natural burial is a way to shepherd our hearts and minds as we surround our loved ones in death. As a peaceful, less expensive, and simple alternative to traditional burial methods, there is no vault, coffin, or embalming. As a result, costs of a funeral are kept low, and we become better stewards of the environment. Natural burial presents an opportunity for the church to take a more active role in the death and burial process.

Where we are

located

Our burial grounds cover 12.1 acres in Anderson County, SC. The location is two miles from I-85 exit 35, off Browning Road.

Our Natural

Burial Ministry

A short message from Matt Kelley.

Why Natural Burial?

There are three primary reasons that we, as a church, feel natural burial honors God and follows sound principles of stewardship. Our goal is to equip the local church, steward our finances well, and make wise decisions about the environment.

Local Church

The church should be a part of every stage of life, including death.
Families are more personally connected to the body and the burial process.
Traditionally, the church was very involved in burial. This modern shift away from the church family has created a disconnect in how we view death. Embalming, caskets, and vaults can create an illusion of hope that is still connected to this world. Returning to the earth and trusting God to resurrect our bodies is central to our Christian hope.

Financial Stewardship

Funeral costs are high, with the average costs in our area being $7,000–$10,000 for traditional burial with a casket and $1,600 for cremation with an urn.
Cremation has increased in popularity in the last two decades; however, cremation costs have risen at least 50% in the last five years.
People are vulnerable to overspending when grieving.
Simple biodegradable caskets (e.g., pine boxes) or shrouds will greatly reduce cost.

Environmental Stewardship

In addition to reduced costs, natural burial eliminates embalming, vaults, and grave liners, which harm the environment.
Natural decomposition is good conservation.
Each year in the U.S., we bury 800,000 gallons of formaldehyde-based embalming fluid, 115 million tons of steel, 2.3 billion tons of concrete, and enough wood to build 4.6 million single-family homes.

Natural Burial

Story

While grieving the death of his father, Chip Banke found comfort in the care of community through natural burial.

FAQ's Frequently Asked Questions

: There are two sides to caring for a body and planning a funeral. There is a logistical side and a care side that our Care teams and Discipleship & Groups staff will continue to provide. Natural burial will bring these two entities together and allow the church to be most engaged in the discipleship process through death and burial.
: We have partnered with Palmetto Mortuary to help facilitate care of the deceased before burial. Members are able to choose to use a funeral home, but it will affect the cost. The burial will need to adhere to Grace Church standards.
: This option is available for members and their families. It is not an open burial site for those outside Grace Church.
: The cost for natural burial is $2,500. This includes opening and closing of the grave, transportation, stone or area marking, and general land upkeep.
: A standard grave is about eight feet long and two and a half feet wide. With over 12 acres of property, thousands of people can be buried.
: Expenses include some upkeep for the grounds, records of burial plots, and general maintenance once the land is purchased and laid out.
: No—our focus with natural burial is securing a resting place in the ground for a recently deceased body.
: No state license is needed for natural burial or church nature preserve.
: Not that we know of locally.
: Yes—we would love to have a small “pole barn” chapel on location for funeral services. There is also additional site work needed.
: Yes—we have plenty that we could share, or we would love to have a conversation with you. Please email Jennifer Dill, Care & Recovery/Outreach Director and Natural Burial Coordinator, for questions and more information.

Resources

Podcast Epidsode

We get an update from Jennifer Dill on Natural Burial.

Listen

Ramsey Creek

Another Example of Natural Burial – Westminster, SC

Learn More

Article

How Did We Get Our Modern Forms of Burial?

Read

Article

Theology of Death

Read

Matt Williams Teaching on Grieving the Death of a Non-Christian

Sermon Series

Theology of Death

Learn More

Contact

If you have questions about natural burial or are interested in future volunteer opportunities, email Angie Wolff, Care & Recovery Administrator and Natural Burial Coordinator.