Planning a Memorial Service or Funeral

If you are reading these words it is likely that you have lost a loved one. May God surround you with comfort and grace as you move forward in planning a service for your loved one.  I consider it a privilege to work with grieving families.  As you say goodbye, I will invite you to plan a service that celebrates the life of the person you lost as well as providing comfort for those who mourn.  

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A memorial service is a celebration or remembrance of someone's life when there is no body present. Often those who choose cremation will ask for a memorial service either at the church or in a place that is meaningful to the family and the person. 

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A funeral is a service, at a church, funeral home or cemetery where the body is present.  

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You will need to determine which kind of service you wish to hold for your loved one as well as what you would like to include in a memorial service or funeral.  

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I would like to meet with all the available family to discuss the service but also to share stories and to learn more about the deceased.  My goal is to make the service celebrating the life of your loved one deeply meaningful and appropriate for the family and friends of the person who has died. 

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Sometimes that means we will plan special music, or that we will invite people to share their favorite stories or memories, sometimes it will mean readings from favorite poems or silence to remember a loved one lost.  I have officiated at a memorial service that ended with a dance and a party, and at a funeral where guests left with tears in their eyes as a bagpiper played "Amazing Grace."  

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This time of remembrance is for the living.  I hope to help you make it as meaningful and memorable as possible. 

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Please contact me at Nelson Congregational Church (603) 847-3280 or send me and email at nelsonchurchucc@gmail.com.