Most people will
use the services of a local funeral director, who will provide advice and
organise all the practical arrangements.
If you would like a funeral to involve the church and a local minister
it is a good idea to find out if they are available before booking the
time and date of the service.
The person who
has passed away may have left details of the sort of funeral that they hoped
for. Ministers will want to support families in keeping to such
arrangements as much as possible and in making the service a personal and
appropriate occasion. Taking funerals is an important part of the minister’s
work and he or she will take time to visit families, offering comfort and
support before and after the funeral itself. In some churches they may be able
to offer the ongoing support of one of their pastoral team.
Most funerals today are cremations and take place entirely at the crematorium
but you may wish to include a church service.A funeral marks the end of a human
life on earth. It is the opportunity for friends and family to express their
grief, to give thanks for the life which has now completed its journey in this
world and to commend the person into God’s keeping.