Celebrating the life of a loved one with a funeral or memorial service may provide comfort to you as well as others. Honoring the memory of your lost loved one creates a gathering of friends and family to mourn the loss and provides a means to support one another. It is also a public acknowledgement of how important this person was to you. Remembering and sharing stories of our interactions with other people is an important part of the life and death experience.

 

Pastoral Staff

The pastors (Pastor John Hemming, Lead Pastor and the Associate Pastor, Lauren Wright) should be notified as soon as possible after the passing of a loved one. The pastors can help with the difficult transition decisions regarding services, etc.

 

Funeral and Memorial Services

The Pastors are willing to officiate at services held at funeral homes or at the church. If the service is held at the church, visitation may be arranged the evening before at the funeral home or before the service (usually one hour) at the church.

 

Funeral and Memorial Service Guidelines

Scheduling

The Funeral Director will communicate directly with the church office when making arrangements for pastoral services, and scheduling date, time and locations. When a funeral home is not involved in the arrangements, the family will speak directly with the administrative staff in charge of scheduling and the Pastor.

 

We request at least three days from the initial call for the service, with a minimum of two full working days.

 

 A family member should call the church to go over the preliminary arrangements and to schedule an appointment with the Pastor to discuss the details of the service.

 

Order of Service

The family will meet with the Pastor and discuss the content of the service. There are many details to consider when planning the service: scripture, music, special readings, remembering the deceased, who will be participating in the service, etc.

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Service Bulletin: An order-of-service bulletin will be printed by CUMC for the service. It will outline the order of the service and list who is participating in each portion of the service. These details will be discussed with the Pastor during your planning visit. If a picture or specific poem or other writing is desired to be included, it must be provided to the Communications Director as soon as possible.

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Music: Congregational songs/hymns may be part of the service. There may be a soloist or other music as well. Family preferences for the music are considered, although the music must be considered appropriate by the Pastor and Music Director for our church setting. The administrative staff will schedule the accompanist (organ or piano) and in some cases other musicians and soloists. Plan to include discussion of this in the planning visit with the pastor.

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Audio/Visual: A sound technician will be in attendance at every funeral to monitor the sound equipment and microphones.

 

    

Other Details

A covered table and easels are available for photos and other memorabilia to be displayed – in the sanctuary and/or in the Fellowship Hall.

• All flowers must be fresh cut.

• Seasonal decorations and drum set will remain in place in the sanctuary.

• Arrangements must be made in advance if nursery is desired.

• See responsibilities of Funeral Coordinator for additional services provided.

 

 

Memorials

Memorials to CUMC in honor of your loved one will be gratefully accepted and may be directed to CUMC or to CUMC Endowment Committee. Both the Church and the CUMC Endowment Committee allow you the option to designate funds to specific ministry areas (i.e., building/facilities, Christian education, worship, music, youth, children, and/or missions).

 

Funds donated to the church may be used as needed; funds donated to the CUMC Endowment Committee are combined with other funds and held in perpetuity, with income distributions to the church occurring on a quarterly basis.

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