Effective 10.20.2024

1.     Issues arising concerning the cemetery and use of the facilities of Ebenezer Methodist Church of Bowman, Inc., will be referred to the Board of Trustees of the church for resolution. The Board of Trustees is responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the cemetery and has the right to remove any faded or deteriorated flowers, papers, or offensive or obscene trinkets or vestiges left on graves. No benches or other permanent structures may be installed without Board approval.   

 2.     Individuals and funeral homes need to contact Mary Riser (803.682.0656) by phone call or text message about cemetery usage. She can reserve plots for members, reserve plots for former members and non-members, provide documentation, and confirm the availability of the facilities for a particular time for the funeral. Funeral homes must contact her or her appointee about the correct location of the burial site before beginning their preparations for the burial.

 3.     One plot is needed for each person who is to be buried, whether in cremated or traditional form. More than one person’s cremated remains may be interred in a single plot, but each person will need to pay to reserve the plot. 

 4.     Each member of Ebenezer Methodist Church of Bowman, Inc., is entitled to one free cemetery plot. Mary Riser can provide documentation of the desired plot if the member does not already have any documentation.

 5.     No fee is necessary for members or their dependent children to reserve plots. A reservation does not remove the requirement of payment of the current fees for former members or non-members at the time of burial.

 6.     Former members of Ebenezer Methodist Church of Bowman, Inc., must pay the going rate to reserve a plot, which is $2,000.00, even if that spot is in a section reserved by a member. Former members cannot reserve plots without payment. Mary Riser will supply documentation of that purchase. Payment at this time guarantees the plot even if the price increases in the future. The fee for the reservation is non-refundable, and the reservation of the plat is non-transferable and non-negotiable. Reservation of the plot does not imply approval for the use of the sanctuary or the social hall. Only a member can reserve the social hall; that member then becomes responsible for the facilities for the event.

 7.     Non-members of Ebenezer Methodist Church of Bowman, Inc., who have a connection to Ebenezer, may reserve cemetery plots for the going rate, which is $4,000.00, even if that spot is in a section reserved by a member. “Connection to Ebenezer” means a familial connection (i.e., grandparents, parents, or children are/were members of Ebenezer Methodist Church of Bowman, Inc.). Non-members cannot reserve plots without payment. Mary Riser will supply documentation of that purchase. Payment at this time guarantees the plot reservation even if the price increases in the future. The fee for the reservation is non-refundable, and the reservation is non-transferable and non-negotiable. Reservation of the plot does not imply approval for the use of the sanctuary or the social hall. Only a member can reserve the social hall; that member then becomes responsible for the facilities for the event.

 8.     The rates to reserve plots may change in the future as determined by the Board of Trustees.

 9.     Memorials to be made to Ebenezer Methodist Church of Bowman, Inc., need to be sent to Stacy Weathers, church treasurer. Her address is 1877 Duncan Chapel Road, Bowman, SC 29018. The check needs to indicate for whom the memorial is made.

 10. The funeral home needs to supply the church with the name and contact information of the family member to whom the list of memorials needs to be sent. This name and contact information need to go to Marty Connelly, 201 Easterlin Road, Bowman, SC 29018.

 11. Families (or the funeral home on their behalf) wanting to hold a service in the sanctuary need to contact the preacher. The number for the parsonage is 803.829.2891.

 12. Ebenezer can provide a funeral meal for a deceased member if the family requests it. The family should contact the funeral meal coordinator about the time for the meal and the approximate number of people who might attend the meal.

 13. Non-members can use the social hall for a funeral meal if they are sponsored by a member; the member should sign up on the calendar in the church, including set-up days as needed. The family must provide their own food and supplies and clean up the facility. The family can contact Anne Weathers (803.682.3854), lay leader, for more information.

 14. Funeral homes need to remove tents by at least ten days after the funeral. Ebenezer Methodist Church of Bowman, Inc., asks the funeral home to remind the family to remove unsightly flowers after the funeral.

 15. The address for the church for GPS purposes is 1600 Ebenezer Road, Bowman, SC 29018. That usually gets people close to the church. The Holstein Road address is confusing for directions.