Families remember loved ones at Trinity United Church, Onslow-Belmont, N.S., with a special remembrance service each year.
THE CHURCH
Gateway Church, London, Ont.
THE CHALLENGE
Building relationships with youth and their families in inner city London
THE IDEA
School field trip activities and fun for middle school students held at church
THE COST
$900 to feed 100 people
Pastor Glenn MacLean explains:
We have done this remembrance service for eight years. We look at the list of everyone we had funeral services for in the previous year, and we contact their families and invite them to attend. Quite a number of people come. We read out the list of names of people who have died and provide enough white roses so people in the families can come up front, choose a rose and place the rose in a vase.
This outreach gives us an opportunity to have these folks come along to church and gives them another small ceremony in which to remember their loved one. There’s been a positive response in the larger community. During this special Sunday service, we also honour any other folk who would like to remember a loved one who has died by asking if anyone else would like to put a rose in the vase in memory of a loved one. It’s been helpful for people. It’s an acknowledgement of the grief in their own homes.
We believe we’ve added to our toolbox of how we minister to those who’ve suffered loss.
We’ve looked around the community to see what’s being offered for grief counselling. Much of it seems to be centred around a gathering of people prepared to tell their stories and maybe gain some new friends from sharing those experiences. All that is positive.
I’ve been a minister for over 50 years. The changing times have had an impact on the way people grieve. This service is another opportunity for people to come together and share their grief. We believe we’ve added to our toolbox of how we minister to those who’ve suffered loss.
I would encourage anyone that this is an excellent addition to what churches try to do in their ministries. A service like this takes a little time to arrange, but it’s an extra outreach that may be helpful for people along the way.
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