FUNERALS

FUNERALS

CORONAVIRUS - GUIDANCE ON FUNERALS MAY CHANGE AS GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS ADAPT DURING THE CURRENT CRISIS. NOT ALL OF OUR CHURCHES MAY YET FEEL ABLE TO OPEN FOR SERVICES.
Funerals can take place at a crematorium or at the graveside. We are reviewing the situation in respect of church buildings across our Mission Community.
You will need to discuss with your funeral director, or one of the ministers, what is possible at this time. Numbers attending will be limited.
You may want to consider the possibility of a memorial service at a date in the future when more people can be present.

We’ll always be here to help you through one of life’s most difficult times. A Church of England funeral is available to everyone, giving support before, during and after the service, for as long as it’s needed.
When someone dies, there’s so much to think about and so much to organise. We understand how difficult this can be, but we can help you say your final goodbye in a way that really helps.

ORGANISING A FUNERAL

After the initial news of the death of someone you knew and loved, there are some important things that need to be done. These are two of the more immediate things:

Register the death. There is some helpful guidance on this on the government’s births, marriages, and deaths advice page.
Meet a Funeral Director. If you’re not yet sure which one to use, you can find one near to you on the National Association of Funeral Directors’ website, or on the National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors (SAIF) website.

The Funeral Director will talk to you about what kind of funeral you would like.
One of the first questions they’ll ask is whether you’d like a burial or a cremation. You might like to discuss this with other family members if you’re not sure what the preference was of the person who died.
You’ll then be asked where you would like the service to be held.
The Funeral Director will ask about various details, including:

Whether the funeral should be civil, humanist or religious. Remember you don’t have to be religious or a churchgoer to have a Church of England funeral – it is open to all.
Whether there is a particular minister or celebrant you have in mind to take the funeral.
What sort of coffin you would like.
How you would like the coffin to be transported to the service.
Whether you would like flowers.
They might ask whether you have any thoughts on music or other special ideas to reflect the life of the person you knew. The person who leads the service will talk to you more about this.

If you choose to have a Church of England funeral, the minister who is to take the service will visit you to listen to the story of the person you knew, and will go through all the details of the funeral service itself.

THE FUNERAL SERVICE

The service will reflect will reflect the unique life of the person you knew. Whatever will help to make the funeral special – music, hymns, readings, tributes, even the type of coffin – can be part of a Church of England funeral. We’re with you at every step of the way.
Go to this step-by-step guide to the funeral service to see some of the options.

YOUR OWN FUNERAL PLANS

The death and funeral of a friend or family member will often cause us to think about sorting out plans for our own funeral. By planning ahead, you’ll have the comfort of knowing that your family and friends have a good idea of things that really matter to you.
At https://churchofenglandfunerals.org/planning-ahead/ you will find help in doing this, It covers such subjects as:

the choices you can make for the service,
who to tell, and where to file the plans you have made
where to get help with the big questions about death, dying, and life beyond death that everyone must think about at some point, but perhaps family and friends don’t like to discuss

FAQS

There is a page of Frequently Asked Questions about Church of England funerals which may also be of help.

There is a wealth of material available via the Church of England's dedicated website on funerals at https://churchofenglandfunerals.org/
Here we provide some of that information, with occasional links to the website, as well as others that may assist you.