When someone dies a family is thrust into a period of tremendous stress and grief. There are so many decisions that need addressing and so little energy to rely upon. Often families talk about feeling overwhelmed and out of control of their life. At Elim we want desire to help you go through your period of loss. We believe that through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ there is eternal life. With this as our hope, our strength can be renewed.

The following information is made available to inform you about what Elim can do to assist you when it comes time to hold a funeral. Please feel free to call the church office or Pastor Hagen at 218.624.2690 for further assistance.

 

FLOWERS Family members may wish to leave flowers at the church following the funeral. These flowers will be recognized on the following Sunday and then disbursed to area nursing homes.

PASCHAL CANDLE This large candle located near the pulpit and positioned at the head of the casket will be lit during the funeral service. The Paschal candle symbolizes Christ’s resurrection and his presence with us.

MEMORIALS The Elim Lutheran Church Council oversees all memorial donations and makes recommendations as to where memorials may be directed. For a current list of possible memorial items, please contact the church office.

THE FUNERAL PALL The funeral pall is a cover for the casket used during the funeral service. The pall carries the image of the cross and symbolizes our being covered by Christ. The funeral pall is used at all funeral services in the church where a brother or sister in Christ has died. The pall will be draped over the casket at the time it is closed and will be removed when the casket leaves the nave.

THE USE OF A FLAG For a veteran, a flag may be used to drape the casket during the visitation and following the removal of the funeral pall.

BULLETIN The church office will prepare a funeral bulletin.

THE LUNCH The women of our church will supply a light lunch following the service at your request. They will serve open faced sandwiches as well as your choice of bars or cake and beverages. If you desire more of a meal than this, the family is asked to purchased and deliver the food to the church ready to serve. Elim also requests that you let us know if you will be bringing food to serve. This is a service our church provides for the family and we ask only that the approximate number of people to be served be relayed to the church office before the day of the funeral. If the family wishes to help offset some of the expenses of putting on this lunch, you may do so by designating your donation to: The Elim Lutheran Church Women.