My peace I give to you...
Let not your
heart be troubled. - John 14:27
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. |
