Funerals
The Christian Funeral
The Christian Funeral is a service of worship designed to give thanks to God for the gift of life and of life eternal. The customs, ceremonies, and tradi-tions which surround the occasion of a loved ones' death provide the basis upon which a healthy process of mourning can be built. They are designed to allow family and friends the opportunity to pay their last respects to their beloved, find comfort in the company of loved ones and through the ministry of the Church. Through it all, the voice of the Gospel can be heard with power and clarity and the peace of Christ can be experienced through the words and actions of the community.
Every effort should be made to provide a positive proclamation which emphasizes the victory of the resurrection, while not minimizing or ignoring the pain and loss of death. Those bereaved need to confront and accept the loss of the deceased as well as be given hope. It is appropriate for the funerals of practicing Christians to be held in the church, the place where their lives of worship have been centered and they have been nurtured in the faith. The death of a member of the church should be reported as soon as possible to the pastor who can assist in all arrangements for the funeral and provide comfort to the bereaved. The visitation and worship service, be it either a funeral service or memorial service, provides the necessary environment for family and friends to share their grief, confront the reality of death, comfort one another, and share our common belief in the power of the resurrection.
The Visitation
One of the important rituals that has developed is to provide for a time of visitation. Generally the immediate family is given a time to meet together prior to the public time of visitation. During the time of public visitation, family and friends are encouraged to offer support and condolences. The paradox of mourning is that the family can withdraw from the community because of their grief, but the community cannot and must not withdraw from its support of the family. Such support is a reflection of God's care and reminds mourners that there are others who truly care for them.
The Christian Funeral is a service of worship designed to give thanks to God for the gift of life and of life eternal. The customs, ceremonies, and tradi-tions which surround the occasion of a loved ones' death provide the basis upon which a healthy process of mourning can be built. They are designed to allow family and friends the opportunity to pay their last respects to their beloved, find comfort in the company of loved ones and through the ministry of the Church. Through it all, the voice of the Gospel can be heard with power and clarity and the peace of Christ can be experienced through the words and actions of the community.
Every effort should be made to provide a positive proclamation which emphasizes the victory of the resurrection, while not minimizing or ignoring the pain and loss of death. Those bereaved need to confront and accept the loss of the deceased as well as be given hope. It is appropriate for the funerals of practicing Christians to be held in the church, the place where their lives of worship have been centered and they have been nurtured in the faith. The death of a member of the church should be reported as soon as possible to the pastor who can assist in all arrangements for the funeral and provide comfort to the bereaved. The visitation and worship service, be it either a funeral service or memorial service, provides the necessary environment for family and friends to share their grief, confront the reality of death, comfort one another, and share our common belief in the power of the resurrection.
The Visitation
One of the important rituals that has developed is to provide for a time of visitation. Generally the immediate family is given a time to meet together prior to the public time of visitation. During the time of public visitation, family and friends are encouraged to offer support and condolences. The paradox of mourning is that the family can withdraw from the community because of their grief, but the community cannot and must not withdraw from its support of the family. Such support is a reflection of God's care and reminds mourners that there are others who truly care for them.
