A funeral service, burial and cremation service, are usually all organized in a church. A church funeral service, typically, will be held before or after the services at a local funeral home. These services can often include the presentation of a wreath, the distribution of funeral gifts and a private funeral chapel for those who would like to have a memorial service on a private basis.
When choosing a funeral service, it is important to decide what type of service you would prefer. Often, the church may also supply this service as part of their regular offerings. For other services, the family or close friends may be expected to contribute financially to the costs of the service.
Choosing A Funeral Service
There are several different types of funeral service, all of which are designed to honor the life of the deceased. The most popular is the “funeral with friends” type of service. This type of service usually includes a pastor and other church members. Often, people will attend the funeral to share in the grief. Others may attend to pay tribute to the deceased, and some may even choose to pay their respects in an informal manner.
The most popular service to take place prior to the burial, is the “burial only” service. This type of service simply allows relatives or friends to pay their last respects. In some cases, the family may elect to hold the service in another state, such as California.
A very formal type of service is the “eternally” held to service. Many people elect to have this type of service after their loved one’s death, and to remember him or her for all eternity. It is often held within a church and usually lasts for an entire day or night.
Other types of service include the “special”one-off” type of service. These types of services are typically held outside of a traditional church, but they still follow the same guidelines of honoring the deceased with respect, giving a eulogy, the sharing of memories and of a poem. In addition, there is often a small memorial service held immediately following the service.
It is important to remember that the service may not always be the same in each case. Different styles and traditions may be preferred by different families and may change with time.
Funeral Planning
As with any type of funeral planning, the most difficult part of the service planning process is deciding on what type of service is best. It may be helpful to consider the following questions: who to have at the service, what type of message to give out, what type of music, what type of hymns to use, if it will be a formal service or a more informal gathering, how many guests will be present, if the service will be open one or closed. Most importantly, there are guidelines in the Christian religion regarding what kind of service to hold and the kind of burial to have.
When it comes to the type of music to be played during the service, it may be beneficial to review the lyrics of the song with your pastor. This way, he or she can provide appropriate songs. Also, you may want to consult with a friend or relative about which songs would be appropriate to use. If you have no knowledge of these, you may want to research them online and find out what is appropriate and which ones are not.
You may also want to purchase special note-taking items. If you are having a traditional service, such as a funeral, you may wish to use a small white handkerchief for this purpose. If you are holding an informal or eulogy, you may want to use a poem or some other poem. Some people have had an obituary prepared ahead of time and then fill it out and give it to the person or persons who are attending the service.
Conclusion
There are a number of ways to plan a funeral service. For instance, if you do not know anyone close to the deceased, you may want to look into using a funeral planner. Using a funeral planner will ensure you have a service planned out that is fitting to the deceased.