Tennessee church uses memorial garden

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KNOXVILLE, Tenn.—Knoxville Mennonite Church, with limited space for a cemetery, will memorialize past church members in a small flower garden adjacent to the sanctuary.

Don Yoder, a landscape architect from Indiana, drew up the plans for the garden. Yoder donated the large Dogwood tree at the center of the memorial, which he said is representative of Christ “looking down on the garden.” Flowers lining the garden’s pathways add to the design and represent new life.

Near the center of the garden is a granite pad featuring brass tabs with the engraved name, date of birth and date of death of the deceased member. In the future, a new tab will be added to the granite to memorialize other members. Benches have been added to facilitate an atmosphere of sanctuary and meditation.

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