s and Ministry at time of Death. I am Resurrection and I am Life, says the Lord. Whoever has faith in me shall have life, eve n though he die. And everyone who has life, and is committed to me in faith, shall not die for ever. 11.25 26 John Let not your hearts be troubled; believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father s house are many rooms; if it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And when I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 14.1 3 John I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, 1 / 9
will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. 8.38 3 Romans Death confronts us at various times during our earthly pilgrimage and touches us at the depths of our being when Death visits us. When Death occurs regardless of the persons age either young or old it is a life altering event, and can leave us disoriented and afraid. It is important to find ways of approaching death that allow us to acknowledge it, accept it, and move forward in hope. From the perspective of Christian faith, dying can be a beautiful and meaningful journey. Our clergy at All Saints Anglican Church Bedford are always willing to be with someone who is dying. We are willing to offer prayer and hope, and to offer a loving and calm presence at a difficult and often frightening time. The clergy will come to either home or hospital and if so desired will offer prayers for the dying. Over many years and centuries it has been the practice of the Christian Church to gather at the time of death of a loved one in order to reflect on ones life and to comfort one another in our time of sorrow and grief. We meet to express Christian hope and faith that 17 2 / 9
So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, * not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. 20 So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:17-21) A funeral service is an opportunity for contemplation, thanksgiving, prayer, and mutual support, a time to be reassured and upheld by the Gospel of Jesus Christ and his promise of eternal life for who believe in him. A funeral is an important worship service and the clergy at All Saints Bedford want to help you as you make the important decisions surrounding your loved ones Christian service. That is why it is important to make contact with the Clergy as soon as you are able to arrange the many details that are involved in planning a good funeral. Grief can be overwhelming, and people are often flooded by a multitude of duties that need to be done in a timely manner. Family conflicts can sometimes become stressed and inflamed. People can become very stressed, and making good decisions can become difficult. The clergy try to provide a calm and peaceful presence in the midst of the chaos and always aim to be helpful and offer an objective and caring perspective on things during such a difficult time for you and your family. 3 / 9
Our Experience is that you will want to contact the funeral home and arrange with them the various practical details from transportation of the body and the care of it before the funeral. The funeral home will also arrange with you and your family the details around the obituary, flowers, cards, and other fitting memorials for your deceased loved one. The service itself is rooted in the Anglican tradition and we use the Book of Common Prayer and The Book of Alternative Services. These worship resources allow for a wide range of meaningful worship during the funeral service. The typical Anglican funeral service include readings from the Holy Bible, hymns, prayers, and a meaningful sermon from the officiating clergy. It is helpful if the clergy know if there are special preferences by the deceased or the immediate family. These can often be included. A reflection or tribute from a family member, a video tribute, a special reading, poem or prayer, music by a family member all these can personalize the service and help a family truly express its feelings and its faith. Communion is also an appropriate expression of faith at any funeral service and can often be a very meaningful experience for those grieving. This aspect of the funeral is available to everyone and is often requested when this form of worship is part of your spiritual practice or that of your deceased loved one. 4 / 9
The length of an Anglican funeral can vary greatly from 20 minutes in length to a hour plus. The length of the funeral worship depends on the number of Scripture readings and Hymns the families wishes to choose in consultation with the officiant. A good funeral is a starting place for healing to begin to take place in your life. It is a very direct way of dealing with the death of a loved one instead of denying or avoiding the death all together. The funeral allows for family and friends to gather around the deceased and actively remember the person's life in story, song and prayer. The funeral also allows for the expression of loss and the supporting of one another in love. At the funeral your emotions and tears of sorrow are welcome. Tears are an expression of the depth of our love and loss we are experiencing and are a gift. Tears are often an outlet for our stress and grief. Many times people experience a wide range of emotions when facing the death of a loved. Many people may feel angry, cheated, confused, relieved, guilty, as well as sad. People s faith is often tested by death especially when facing the death of a young child. Often there are no simple or immediate answers. The clergy and the people of All Saints Church will not judge how you feel or respond, but will try to walk with you as you come to terms with the loss as best you can. When wondering about children and their acceptance at worship they are welcome to participate as best they can. Young children like their parents need to be able to grieve in a safe and caring environment so that they can begin to make meaning out of the death of a loved one. Children are encouraged to participate in the funeral worship at their level of understand and trust the God's Holy Spirit will guide them and give them what they need to begin their journey of grief and healing. 5 / 9
Location s are often held within the body of the church building, funeral chapel, graveside or a private home. You are encouraged to hold the funeral worship in the church as it has a richness of symbolism, history and personal connections that have proven to be helpful during the funeral worship. A persons faithfulness in regular worship or not does not determine a persons worthiness for Christian burial at All Saints Anglican Church Bedford. Music At All Saints we have a talented and gift Choir director Gillian Ezekiel and she is a gifted musician. Your family is also invited to offer your own musical gifts or choose a more contemporary form of music and style that helps you at the funeral. Please be sure to consult with the officiating clergy as not all musical selections are possible and sometimes not appropriate. Flowers 6 / 9
Flowers are a welcomed addition to any worship service in the church and are especially fitting at funerals. Often times the florist of your choosing is able to deliver the flowers or you can make arrangements with the funeral home for delivery as well. The Burial or Interment Immediately after the service or after the reception this graveside service takes place. The service is short in nature and often consists of prayers and the placing of the casket or urn into the earth and final resting place of your loved one. Often after a funeral families will want to connect with each other and with their friends immediately following the service. The clergy recognize that the long trip to the cemetery can prevent that. Some families opt to wait until after the reception before proceeding to the cemetery. If the interment is held following the reception, families should be aware that the clergy and funeral home staff will have other duties they may need to attend to. An official from the funeral home will set a time for the trip to the cemetery and this is typically one hour after the reception has started. In the case of cremation, families sometimes choose to post pone the burial until a later date often to choose a location or to relieve the pressure they may be under to make a decision in short notice. 7 / 9
Receptions When considering having a reception people choose to use the parish hall for a gathering afterward, or a room at the funeral home if the service happens there. Some choose to have no reception at all, or to gather with immediate family in someone s home. This is your choice and personal preference, but the clergy will be glad to discuss your options with you. At the time of the reception some people choose to have speeches and tributes, and display mementos reflecting the person s life, whether in photographs or art work or crafts the person created. Catering can be arranged through the parish office, and in most cases the ACW (Anglican Church Women) group can provide a team to host and prepare the tea, coffee and food. Gifts/Honoraria Gifts to the church, the clergy, organist, care taker, ACW, etc., are often arranged through the Home handling the practical affairs of the service. The funeral home can often best advise as to what is an appropriate amount in each case. But this is entirely a matter of personal discretion. We will not turn away anyone who cannot afford to make a donation. 8 / 9
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