For those not able to attend a funeral

Red candle hands

Author: Alex Drew

Funerals during Covid-19 with social distancing and new regulations are especially painful for those who are grieving or not able to attend. Here are some resources for Christians who are not able to go to a funeral, or who are planning a funeral with resources for those at home. There will be other resources added over time.

The Methodist Church has published a short at-home service people can use if they can’t attend a funeral. Click here to have a look at their website.

The Church Support Hub from the Church of England, has a reflection for use at home (see here).

The most comprehensive resource we have found is this free download from the United Reformed Church, with prayers, poems, suggested words and guidance, suitable for all.

 

A special moment at home enables you, like a funeral does, to:

  • Give thanks for the person who has died
  • Find hope for tomorrow, looking to God and each other
  • Give the one who has died to God
  • Say goodbye

 

It might be helpful to:

  • Think, write, or draw some of your memories of the person
  • Share those memories with others
  • Use a card with a prayer (you can download this bookmark here from the Church of England)
  • Light a candle
  • Use prayers and hymns. You can view a booklet with prayers here, with double page/print versions here.
  • Send any particular thoughts or memories from those not able to attend to the funeral director to include in the service.
  • Ask the funeral director to email a copy of the order of service so it can be shared with those not able to be there. Someone at the service might be willing to video it for relatives. Make sure this is only shared with permission from those attending.
  • Plan a date for a future event of remembrance, either formal or informal. Some people use All Souls Sunday for this purpose. There are many ways to remember someone’s life and share hope for the future.

 

To gain a first-hand account of a funeral in these times, you can read about the personal experience of a Seniors Minister at a Baptist church taking the funeral of her father, during the Coronavirus crisis, by clicking here.

For more blogs relating to the impact of Coronavirus and how we can support each other, do visit the blog section of our Faith in Later Life website by clicking here.