Funerals at All Saints

It is important that we help them plan for the service, and you may be reading this part of the website because the vicar has directed you to this page. If so, we do hope you find it helpful.

 

So now we move to the first person, as I let you know that it is I the vicar who is addressing you the mourner. Firstly, before proceeding, please may we at All Saints assure you of our love and prayers at this very difficult time. May you know God's peace and the promise of eternal life, and may you know the hope that is in Christ and his resurrection throughout the dark tunnel of grief that lies ahead. Whoever is taking the funeral will be in touch very soon. This information below is purely to assist you in preparing for the service.

 

PLANNING THE DETAILS OF THE SERVICE

 

MUSIC

 

Firstly, if you are planning on having hymns at the funeral, (and not everyone does these days), we would suggest you choose two or three if the service is to be held at the church, and one or two if it is to be held just at the crematorium.

 

You may wish to make a note of the most popular hymns for funerals. They are easy to find on Youtube if you wish to listen to them while making your selection:

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Abide with me

All things bright and beautiful

Lead us heavenly Father, lead us

Love divine all love's excelling

Lord of all hopefulness

Make me a channel of your peace

Morning has broken

Praise my soul the king of heaven

The day thou gavest Lord is ended

The King of love my shepherd is

The Lord's my shepherd

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Alternatively it is becoming common just to have CD music at church funerals and crematorium services. This is absolutely fine. We do not stream music at the church or use MP3 players. We will  burn the music you choose onto CDs direct from Itunes. Please do not bring your own CDs to the church as they may not work with our system. 

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Of course many people choose a selection of hymns and CD pieces. Remember you only have 30 minutes if the service is at the crematorium, but at the church you can have up to an hour.

 

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READINGS

 

Readings are important parts of the service. They are not essential, but they often create a meditative mood, and often come before the talk about your loved one's life, or just afterwards.

 

We recommend that you have one reading from the bible. Especially as this is a Christian service, it is important to hear the Christian hope as expressed through the words of the bible. To find a suitable reading please visit this website:  CLICK HERE

 

You may also wish to have a poem read out, either by the minister or by a member of the family or friend. Over the  many years I have been taking funerals I have come across many poems and reflections that are helpful and I list them now. Maybe you could choose one, or two if the service is at the church (as there is more time):

 

A ship sails

 

A ship sails and I stand watching till she fades on the horizon and someoneat my side says "She is gone".

Gone where?

Gone from my sight, that is all.

She is just as large now aswhen I last saw her.

Her diminished size and total loss from my sight is inme, not in her.

And just at the moment when someone at my side says she is gone there are others who are watching her coming over their horizon and other voices takeup a glad shout

"Here she comes!"

That is what dying is.

An horizon and just the limit of our sight.

Lift us up, Oh Lord, that we may see further

Anonymous

 

 

Death is nothing at all.

I have only slipped away into the next room.

I am I and you are you.

Whatever we were to each other that we still are.

Call me by my old familiar name.

Speak to me in the easy way which you always used.

Put no difference in your tone.

Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow.

Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes we enjoyed together.

Pray, smile, think of me, pray for me.

Let my name be ever the household wordthat it always was.

Let it be spoken without effortwithout the trace of a shadow in it.

Life means all that it ever meant.

It is the same as it ever was.

There is unbroken continuity.

Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight?

I am waiting for you somewhere very near

just around the corner.

All is well.

 

Henry Scott Holland(1847-1918) Canon of St Paul's Cathedral

 

 

 

When I come to the end of the road,

And the sun has set for me,

I want no rites in a gloom-filled room.

Why cry for a soul set free?

Miss me a little--but not too long,

And not with your head bowed low.

Remember the love that we once shared,

Miss me--but let me go.

For this is a journey that we all must take

And each must go alone.

It's all a part of the Master's plan,

A step on the road to home.

When you are lonely and sick of heart

Go to the friends we know

And bury your sorrows in doing good deeds.

Miss Me--But Let me Go!

Anonymous

 

 

In this one "he" can be exchanged for "she"

 

You can shed tears that he is gone or you can smile because he has lived.

You can close your eyes and pray that he'll come back

or you can open your eyes and see all he's left.

Your heart can be empty because you can't see him

or you can be full of the love you shared.

You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday

or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.

You can remember him and only that he's gone

or you can cherish his memory and let it live on.

You can cry and close your mind, be empty and turn your back

or you can do what he'd want: smile, open your eyes, love and go on.

Anonymous

 

 

 

If I should go tomorrow

It would never be goodbye

For I have left my heart with you

So don’t you ever cry.

The love that’s deep within me,

Shall reach you from the stars,

You’ll feel it from the heavens,

And it will heal your scars

 

Anonymous

 

 

 

We give them back to you, dear Lord,

Who gave them to us,

Yet as you did not lose them in giving – so we have not lost them by their return.

Not as the world gives, do you give, O lover of souls,

What you give you do not take away,

For what is yours is ours always – if we are yours,

And life is eternal and love is immortal and death is only an horizon,

and an horizon is nothing save the limit of our sight.

Lift us up, strong Son of God, that we may see further.

Cleanse our eyes that we may see clearly.

Draw us close to yourself that we may know ourselves nearer to our beloved who are with you,

And while you prepare a place for us,

Prepare us for that happy place, that where they are and you are we may be.

 

ORDER OF SERVICE

 

The Vicar or Reader taking your service will help you prepare an order of service.

We cannot print order of services at All Saints office as our equipment is not of high quality and we do not employ a member of staff to man the office. 

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Another tip - always print an extra 20 more than the guests you are expecting. It is better safe than sorry.

 

THE EULOGY, TALK, OR ADDRESS

 

This is one of the most important parts of the service - the talk about your loved one. Often the vicar or minister taking the service will be asked to do this. Sometimes a member of the family or friend wishes to do it.

 

It is of course entirely up to the next of kin to make decisions of this nature. If you wish me to do it, or the minister taking the service, it's a good idea to think about the sort of things you want them to say before they arrange to meet with you face to face. Sometimes jotting down the rough framework of your loved ones life - birthday and place, childhood, job, marriage, children, hobbies, personality - can be very helpful. Any anecdotes or unusual memories, even humourous, can be appropriate to lighten the gloom of the service and make it more human.

 

If you are planning on giving the talk yourself, it's always a good idea to have it written down in case you become very tearful and need the minister to take over. Should this happen it is entirely understandable. It is a good idea to share with me or the minister taking the service a little about what you are going to say. This gives the minister a better "feel" for the funeral and helps to set the tone.

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If it a funeral to be held at the church there may be time for two or three people to give talks.

If you are planning on giving the talk at a service at the crematorium it's best not to make the talk too long as there is a time limit of 30 minutes for the whole service. If you are just having one hymn or one piece of music during the service it is fine to make the talk last for ten minutes, but a shorter talk is preferable if there are two hymns or pieces of music during the service.

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If I am taking the funeral, please email me your thoughts to simon@teamvicar.org or tell me what you would like when we meet up. If possible, if you have a lot of questions, it's more sensible to leave them till we meet up as we can cover a lot of ground much quicker in a conversation than by email, though I still welcome emails if you think they would be helpful, especially after I have been to see you.

 

WHAT ELSE IS IN THE SERVICE?

 

The service normally starts with something called "The Opening Sentences"

These are passages from the bible which create a sense of dignity and provide a framework for the beginning of the service. Then, there is normally a hymn, followed by a reading or poem (or both), and then the talk.

 

Then, if you are having a second hymn, or a piece from a CD, it would follow at this point. Then there are the prayers which are led by the minister usually. Then the prayer of commendation follows where we commend the soul of your loved one to Almighty God (in other words we entrust their soul to God's safekeeping). A third hymn, or piece from a CD,  may follow if the service is at church. The committal takes place either at the graveside or the crematorium.

 

For full details of words used at a funeral please visit this link, though remember that not all of these words will be used at the service.

https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/worship-texts-and-resources/common-worship/death-and-dying/funeral

 

The minister normally decides what is appropriate and the family normally trusts his or her judgement on this. However, if there are any of the prayers that you particularly want, please mention this to the minister and he or she will incorporate them.

 

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CONCLUSION

 

I am hoping you have found this information helpful.

 

Please do not hesitate to contact me at Rev Simon Tillotson or on 07833 448287 if you have any further questions.

 

With every good wish. My prayers are with you.

Simon