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The committal may take place immediately following the funeral, or it may be a separate service at another time and place.ħ) Reentry into the community by the chief mourners following the service takes time and can be facilitated by the supportive ministry of the Church. It presupposes that the encounter with the body of the deceased and the closing of the coffin have already taken place, and for this reason the coffin remains closed throughout the service and thereafter.Ħ) The committal service is not found in UMH because the congregation cannot be expected to carry hymnals to the graveside, but it is found here following the Service of Death and Resurrection. Children should be invited to be present at all these services.ĥ) The Service of Death and Resurrection itself, commonly called the funeral or memorial service, brings into focus the whole ministry of the Church at death. A variety of supportive ministries by church, family, friends, and other organizations may take place between the time of death and the time of the service see A Family Hour or Wake. If the family requests that there be military, fraternal, or other rites in addition to the Service of Death and Resurrection, the pastor should plan carefully the sequence and interrelationship of these services so that the service is not interrupted with other rites, and so that its integrity is supported and not compromised.Ĥ) Facing the body of the deceased and closing the coffin bring home to the mourners the reality of death and are times when the support of pastor and Christian community is important. The pastor may have an important role in notifying others of the death.ģ) Plans for the service and all other ministries following a death should be made in consultation with the family and subject to the approval of the pastor. Prayer and other acts of worship are crucial with the bereaved at the time of death.

At several times during this ministry acts of worship are especially appropriate.ġ) In ministry with the dying, prayers and other acts of worship are crucial.Ģ) The pastor should be notified immediately upon the death of a member or constituent of the congregation. The service itself should be seen as a part of the larger ministry of the Church at death. Alternatively, the coffin may be covered with a flag, or flowers may be placed on it.

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For each service the pall should be clean and free of wrinkles, and flowers should never be placed on top of it. The coffin may be covered with a pall (a large cloth with a cross and other Christian symbolism), an act whose meaning is declared by the words: 'As in baptism Name put on Christ, so in Christ may Name be clothed with glory.' The same pall is used in a congregation for all funerals and is a witness that everyone is equal before the table of the Lord. Traditionally, pastors have not accepted an honorarium for this service when the deceased was a member of the parish. The organist or person in charge of the music should be consulted and work with the family in all decisions on music selection. Ethnic and cultural traditions are encouraged and may be incorporated into the service at the discretion of the pastor. When circumstances make the service as it stands inappropriate, the pastor may make adaptations, using the alternative acts of worship and other available resources. It expresses clearly the twofold nature of what is done: the facts of death and bereavement are honestly faced, and the gospel of resurrection is celebrated in the context of God's Baptismal Covenant with us in Christ. Service of Death and Resurrection was selected as being appropriate to any of the wide variety of situations in which this service might be used. Memorial Service is appropriate when the body of the deceased is not present. Burial of the Dead is appropriate for a service where the remains of the deceased are buried. Funeral is appropriate for a service with the body of the deceased present. Use of the term Service of Death and Resurrection is not intended to discourage use of the more familiar terms -funeral, burial of the dead, or memorial service. This service is intended for use with the body of the deceased present, but it can be adapted for use at memorial services or other occasions. If the service is to be held in a church and led by anyone other than the pastor of that congregation, it should be done at the invitation of that pastor.

It should be held in the church if at all possible and at a time when members of the congregation can be present. It is a service of Christian worship suitable for funerals and memorial services.