ELK LICK BAPTIST CHURCH CEMETERY RULES AND REGULATIONS
INTRODUCTION
​
In the year 1880, five men and six women felt led of the Holy Spirit to separate themselves from the Antioch Missionary Baptist Church and form a new church of like faith and order at Spa, KY. By action of the Antioch Church in its regular July session, these members were dismissed by letter, thus forming the nucleus of the Elk Lick Missionary Baptist Church. The names of the eleven are: Mary Motsinger, Sarah
J. Thornberry, Lots Penrod, Emma Penrod, Lydie E. Johnson, Sarah L. Johnson, Nancy Johnson, N.A.P.
Johnson, Joseph T. Johnson, L.T. Latham, C. Whitson.
Simon W. Danks and his wife, Martha J. Danks, on August 22, 1881, gave two acres of land to Elk Lick Missionary Baptist Church to build a new church building and to provide burial grounds. The same couple also donated trees to build the original log church which stood at the same location as the present church.
TERMINOLOGY
The term ELBC will refer to Elk Lick Baptist Church.
The terms LOT, PLOT, BURIALPLACE, Or BURIAL SITE shall be used interchangeably and shall apply with like effect to one or more adjoining graves.
The term INTERMENT shall mean the permanent disposition of the remains of a deceased person by burial.
The term MEMORIAL shall include a monument, marker or stone.
The term MAINTENANCE shall apply to the entire Cemetery provided by the ELBC Cemetery Committee under the direction of ELBC and the ELBC Trustee Board.
The term INURNMENT shall mean the permanent disposition of the cremated remains of a deceased person by burial.
The term MEMBER refers to a person who is listed on ELBC church records as a member of ELBC.
For the mutual protection and benefit of the ELBC Cemetery, the following rules and regulations have been adopted by the ELBC located at 6904 Green Ridge Spa Rd, Lewisburg, KY 42256. All present and future grave plots and visitors to the cemetery shall be subject to said RULES AND REGULATIONS, and subject further to such other RULES AND REGULATIONS, amendments or alterations as shall be adopted from time to time.
These RULES AND REGULATIONS shall be in force upon approval by the ELBC during a regular business meeting. The policy enforcement date will be listed as the Approved Date of these rules and regulations.
QUALIFICATIONS
-
Burial sites are available to ELBC members and their children free of charge anywhere in the cemetery. The "new" or westernmost portion of the cemetery is reserved for members only and shall include their children.
-
Burial sites are available in the "old" portion of the cemetery, excluding the westernmost section which is on the west side of the gravel drive, for a fee of $500 per plot to any person who can document a connection to the community no further than 2 generations past. All fees will be paid to ELBC and maintained in a separate Cemetery Fund to be used for maintenance of the cemetery.
-
A Cemetery Burial Plot Site Reservation shall be issued for burial plots reserved. A copy of this document will be kept on record by the ELBC Cemetery Committee.
-
Burial plots remain the real and personal property of the ELBC and are designated for interment purposes only.
-
Burial plots can be reserved by an ELBC member or purchased by a non-member who proves a Spa community connection. In order to reserve the plot, a memorial MUST be erected on the plot within 12 months. If not, the plot will be taken off the reserved list. The cost for the reservation will not be reimbursed.
​
MEMORIALS/MARKERS/STONES
-
A permanent memorial must be in place no later than 1 year from the date of burial. It is required that this memorial be inscribed with the name of the deceased.
-
All memorials must be made from natural stone. No memorials of artificial stone of any kind are permitted.
-
No mausoleum or above-ground crypt will be allowed in the ELBC Cemetery.
-
No improper effigies or memorials bearing offensive inscriptions shall be permitted to be placed in or upon any part of the cemetery. If any such monument, effigy, or any structure whatsoever, or any inscription be placed in or upon any site, the ELBC Cemetery Committee shall have the right, and it shall be their duty, to enter upon such site and remove the offensive or improper object. If the removal of such objects or inscriptions incurs any cost, the family of the deceased shall be responsible for any and all costs. The ELBC Cemetery is maintained by ELBC through the Cemetery Committee. Therefore, the cemetery is an extension of the Christian doctrines and beliefs central to ELBC.
-
No memorial shall be installed in such a fashion that it extends beyond the boundaries of the designated plot or burial site, or that it will interfere with future burial sites or the movement of the cemetery maintenance equipment.
​
CEMETERY RULES AND REGULATIONS
-
The ELBC Cemetery Committee maintains the numbered cemetery plot map.
-
At the time of death, either the family of the deceased or the funeral director will contact a member of the ELBC Cemetery Committee to verify the availability of the burial site and to make arrangements for having the burial site marked prior to excavation.
-
No burial site shall be used for any other purpose than for the burial of the human dead.
-
Stacking of two individuals is allowed in one burial site with pre-approval of the ELBC Cemetery
-
Committee. This approval must occur pre-death and the memorial must indicate both names of the deceased.
-
Without pre-approval, no interment of two or more bodies shall be made in one burial site except in the case of a parent and infant or two infants buried in one casket. Special care must be taken to properly mark the burial site with the individual names.
-
Following the funeral, it is the responsibility of the family to remove flowers, etc. from the burial site no later than 14 days following burial. This includes all fresh flowers. All artificial arrangements must be placed onto the actual burial site so as not to hinder maintenance. In the event these have not been removed in a timely manner, the cemetery committee or their representatives will remove and dispose of all items from the burial site that have become unsightly. Debris should be hauled away or placed in the wooden trash container at the western end of the cemetery.
-
No plants, shrubbery, trees, or flowers of any kind are permitted to be planted on burial sites.
-
No coping, curbing, fencing, hedging, borders, or enclosures of any kind shall be allowed around any burial sites. No walks of brick, cinders, tile, sand, cement, gravel, or wood shall be allowed on any burial site. The ELBC Cemetery Committee reserves the right to remove the same if so erected, planted or placed.
-
Flowers, flags and approved ornaments are to be maintained by the family of the deceased. In the event these items become worn or unsightly, they will be removed at the discretion of the Cemetery Committee.
-
Bottles, glass containers, glass or porcelain figurines, toys, or other objects that might create a mowing hazard will not be permitted in the cemetery.
​
INURNMENTS
The inurnment or burial of a set of cremated remains must be contained in a suitable container.
Scattering of cremated remains is not allowed in the cemetery. The container holding the cremated remains must be buried under the ground in the burial site. A memorial must be placed at the burial site. Two sets of cremated remains are allowed to be buried in one burial site as long as the memorial documents the names of both of the deceased.
​
MAINTENANCE
-
Maintenance contracts and schedules shall be set forth by the ELBC, ELBC Trustee Board, and the ELBC Cemetery Committee.
-
Landscaping and maintenance of the cemetery shall be under the direction of the ELBC
Cemetery Committee. The maintenance will consist of cutting the grass and general preservation of the grounds. Every effort is made to care for the memorials installed. In the event damages are sustained (including chipping or breakage), ELBC Cemetery Committee, ELBC, and ELBC Trustee Board are not responsible for repair or replacement.
-
ELBC assumes the responsibility of the maintenance of the cemetery grounds. It is however the responsibility of family member of the deceased to maintain repair of the burial site memorial.
The general care assumed by ELBC shall in no case mean maintenance, repair or replacement of any memorial, vase, basket, flowers, or any other objects placed upon the burial site. -
ELBC assumes no responsibility for damages to burial sites, memorials, etc. that may occur while preparing for a burial in another plot or while work is being done to another site or from any act of God that may occur. It shall be the responsibility of the funeral home, grave digger, memorial company, to repair, replace or make good any damages to any other site that my occur as a result of a mistake or oversight on said person's part.
-
ELBC disclaims all responsibility for loss or damage from causes beyond its reasonable control, and especially from damage caused by the elements, an act of God, common enemy, thieves, vandals, insurrections, or order of any military or civil authority, whether the damage be direct or collateral.
-
In the event that a memorial is in need of repair that constitutes a hazard to maintenance workers or visitors to the cemetery, and no living relatives of the deceased can be located, the cemetery committee will assess the need and bring a proposal for repair before the church for approval.
​
CORRECTION OF ERRORS
The ELBC reserves and shall have the right to correct any errors that may be made by it either in making interments, or in the marking of any burial site.
In the event that unknown/unmarked remains are uncovered in the process of an interment, the interment will immediately cease and the cemetery committee will be contacted. The cemetery committee will then offer the family of the deceased an alternate site for interment and will bring a proposal before the church addressing action towards the unmarked/unknown remains.
​
SACRED DUTY
The Bible, common sense, common decency, and respect for our loved ones and our fellow man, lead us to conclude that it is a "sacred duty" to respect and maintain the burial sites of those that have gone on before us. "If only you would hide me in the grave...and then remember me." Job 14:13
As a priority to ELBC, it is our wish to provide a well-kept, reverent resting place for your loved ones and for ours. The maintenance and upkeep of the cemetery are funded entirely by burial plot reservation fees, donations, and love gifts. We invite every family with ties to ELBC Cemetery to help with its upkeep, and we offer you an opportunity to give your love gift or donation.
Please mail gift/donation to:
Elk Lick Baptist Church
6904 Green Ridge Spa Rd
Lewisburg, KY 42256
ATTN: Cemetery Fund
