How a person has been able to say goodbye will affect how they grieve. A funeral that takes into account the feelings of those left behind, alongside the wishes of the person who has died, can be helpful for the grief journey. However, with many different people to take into consideration and varying preferences, this can be hard to achieve.
Funerals
Churches have been taking funerals for centuries and doing them well. In recent years the culture has been changing and the number of funerals that the churches have been involved in has declined, alongside a growing desire for ‘bespoke’ and creative ways of saying goodbye. We want to resource and share here good practice in funeral ministry that seeks to alleviate the grief journey and enable ongoing connection with the church.
The Church of England has a very useful website for helping to prepare for a funeral which has resources for the funeral service as well as the opportunity for bereaved people to light a candle online to pray. There is also useful information about managing funerals during the coronavirus restrictions.