Why New Light Cemetery Restoration Fund
The New Light Cemetery Restoration Fund was established in 2024 to ensure that the cemetery will forever be maintained as a cultural and historical landmark and a perpetual care cemetery.
Historically, cemetery maintenance was sustained through an unstructured system of donations and plot sales. This system worked primarily because of the existence of New Light United Methodist Church. With the closure of the church in 2023 after nearly 100 years, funds to maintain the cemetery dried up leaving it in a precarious state.
From Church Closure to Community Ownership
Local New Light descendants took on the responsibility of helping to maintain the cemetery. In 2024, they established the New Light Cemetery Restoration Fund, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization (Tax ID No: 99-467 1813) to raise funds to maintain and preserve the cemetery and reawaken interest in the history of New Light among descendants and the wider community.
All donations are tax deductible and are documented as required by the IRS. Contributions and expenditures are captured using a formal accounting system. This includes preparing financial statements, and providing documentation and receipts for all donations made and plots purchased. This transparent system ensures that every penny is accounted for and used for the betterment of the cemetery.
New Light remains an active burial ground today, continuing its founding purpose as a resting place for members of the church and their descendants. Get in touch to arrange a burial.
Meet Our Board of Directors
Tamara Burton Allen
President
Carl Ray Taylor
Vice President
Joe Watt
Assistant Treasurer
Terence Taylor
Cemetery Manager
Gertrude "Tolue" (Taylor) Darden
Board Member
Kitty (Taylor) Dumas
Board Member
Our Partner
