Baptism

Baptism is one of the two sacraments in the Presbyterian Church, and here at Howard Memorial, we know that baptisms are an important event in the life of a family, as well as in the life of the congregation.  All children and adults of the church are welcomed to be baptized.  

Baptisms are scheduled through the church office. They are approved by the Session and held during Sunday morning worship and are officiated by the minister.

Communion

Communion is one of the two sacraments in the Presbyterian Church. The Lord’s Supper is served on a schedule set by the Session and all are invited to participate. The Communion Table is the Lord’s Table. 

Unconfirmed children may also receive communion. A booklet, Children & Communion: Instructed Communion Booklet for Parents, to help parents explain the sacrament to their children is available in the church office. 

Funerals

Funerals, also called Services of Witness to the Resurrection, call the community of faith to celebrate the lives of those who have joined the Church Triumphant, and to acknowledge Christ’s victory over death through the Resurrection.

Services of Witness to the Resurrection are held whenever needed. A guide called A Service of Witness to the Resurrection at Howard Memorial Presbyterian Church, is available in the church office. 

memorial gardens & grounds

In 1790, the Town of Tarboro set aside one block of the urban grid as a burial ground. It became known as The Old Town Cemetery and is one of the state’s oldest urban cemeteries. The number of graves is unknown. A 1930s WPA cemetery survey recorded only 64 marked graves and 75 unmarked graves, some of which are located in the Civil War section on Saint David Street. The earliest marked grave is that of Thomas Barker, who died June 5, 1820. The last one is Miss Mattie Shackleford’s, June 6, 1960.

The relationship between the cemetery and the Presbyterians began in 1874. The newly established congregation of the Tarboro Presbyterian Church, petitioned the Town for the corner of the cemetery on which they built a small Carpenter Gothic revival sanctuary. In 1909, the church expanded further into the cemetery when the Howard Family built the present day, sanctuary in memory of Judge George Howard, and his wife Anna Stamps Howard. In 1954, more space was acquired to build a new educational building. 

In 2003, a church member made a generous donation to the church. Her request for a memorial garden sparked the idea of further expansion into the cemetery. The Presbyterians petition the Town again in 2010, and this time it was for the remainder of the block. Under the leadership of the Memorial Garden Committee, the cemetery has been restored and a memorial garden, established, creating a tranquil green space, which highlights the cemetery’s urban park significance. The design offers visitors a visual experience from any angle. A Columbarium wall with sixty niches is a sacred addition, where church members and others who are associated with the church may have their ashes entombed.

Areas of interest in the garden are the restored Shackleford Chapel, the Civil War burial section, the Bond Family plot and the Memorial Stone, where cremated remains can be sprinkled. Recent plantings include trees and shrubs, such as American Holly, Sassafras, Cedar, Poets Laurel, and Serviceberry all of which are consistent with old Eastern North Carolina cemetery plantings. 

For additional information about the Memorial Garden, the Columbarium or the Memorial Stone, please contact the Church office. 

Miss Mattie’s Chapel

Within the walls of Old Town Cemetery, Tarboro’s oldest cemetery (1790) lays Miss Mattie Shackelford’s 1938 Memory Chapel. Miss Mattie built this simple, brick chapel as a place to visit, pray and reflect on those who came before us.

Miss Mattie, was a trained nurse and member of the Army Nurse Corp and an ambulance driver during WW1 in Serbia. Once back home in Tarboro, she served the poor for many years as the director of the County Home and often gave talks to school children on the significance of our country’s flag, patriotism and what it means to serve those less fortunate. She is buried next to her chapel and her marker states; “MISS MATTIE, PATRIOT, HUMANITARIAN”.