How do I set up a funeral at Grace Church?

To set up funeral at Grace Church you need to start by contacting the Pastor. This will allow for conversations to begin about background information of the deceased as well as any selections you may want for scriptures, songs, or other parts of the funeral. This will allow for a more personal, and meaningful services for the family of the loved one.

What is the purpose of a funeral?

The funeral is a congregational service. Those who are grieving the most at the loss of a loved one are able to be surrounded by family and friends who also are mourning. The funeral is for the family and not for the deceased. The body may or may not be present.

As Christians, however, there is much more. In the death of our own loved one, we are reminded that Jesus Christ faced a very painful death. In Christ's victory over death, we are reminded that our own loved one may also live in eternity. A Christian funeral is called a service of Death and Resurrection because it is intended to remind us of these truths.

Where should the funeral be?

Your funeral director offers the convenience of a funeral at the funeral home. The public areas of a funeral home are designed specifically to have a place for the viewing and the service. This is an appropriate choice for many.

As United Methodists at Grace Church, however, we believe that the church sanctuary is the best place for a Service of Death and Resurrection. For congregation members who attend services in the sanctuary on Sunday morning, who come to our facilities for activities and other services during the week, our church is a place in which special moments of closeness to God have taken place. For members who have been here over time, the sanctuary is the place in which you joined the church at Confirmation, in which you were married, in which your children were baptized. When you are ready to take the big step into God's eternity, the sanctuary is the place you will want the service to take place. Your funeral director will accommodate you, and he or she is experienced in assisting with services that take place in sanctuaries as well.

Is there a fee for a funeral?

Please do not give the pastor a gift, payment, or honorarium when a funeral is performed. In presiding at a Service of Death and Resurrection, the pastor does so as the pastor of the congregation. It is part of his commitment to Christ that he made when he was called to ministry. On occasion persons have used a funeral to get back at the deceased. The pastor may refuse to do a funeral if the family tires to use the funeral for hurting instead of healing.