A funeral marks the close of a human life on earth. It is the opportunity for friends and family to express their grief, to give thanks for the life which has now completed its journey in this world and to commend the person into God's keeping.

As far back into history as we can penetrate, human beings seem to have felt the need for a ceremonial leave-taking of those who have died.

A funeral service in the Church of England - whether in a parish church or a crematorium chapel - may be very short and quiet with only a few members of the family present, or an occasion of great solemnity with music, hymns and a packed church. A funeral may also be set within a celebration of Holy Communion. Whatever the pattern of service, the words and actions all speak of a loving God and the preciousness to him of every human being.

Questions of life and death

The funeral service will reflect the personality of the one who has died and the circumstances of their death. Feelings of grief, gratitude, joy and sadness often intermingle. Sometimes, a sense of tragedy is uppermost, especially when it is a young person who has died. When it is the end of a long and fruitful life, the feelings of thanksgiving can be strongest.

There are times when the death of a faithful Christian seems to be the consummation of all they have lived for and the funeral service is a triumphal departure for their true home. As for Christian in The Pilgrim's Progress, 'all the trumpets sound for them on the other side'.

Funeral services always raise profound questions about the meaning of life and death. Jesus himself believed in a life-giving God: 'the God of the living, not of the dead.' Christians believe that Christ's resurrection is the triumph of good over evil and of life over death and has made eternal life available to us.

The funeral service

The Church of England has three authorized funeral services:

• The service from the Book of Common Prayer (1662), in 17th century English
• The ‘Series One’ Alternative Service (1966), also in traditional language
• The service from Common Worship (2000), in contemporary language

The service usually begins with the priest or minister reading aloud some reassuring sentences from the Bible, such as:

'I am the resurrection and the life,' saith the Lord; 'he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die,' John 1.25-26

‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted’ Matthew 5.4

Near the start of the service there is an opportunity for someone who has known well the person who has died to say a few words about them – a tribute.

A Psalm - often The Lord is my shepherd – may follow. This, together with readings from the Bible tell of God's care and of the hope of eternal life.

This is followed by an address or a sermon by the minister in which he or she speaks about the great Christian beliefs about life beyond death. Such words can be a source of great comfort and strength to the mourners.

Prayers then recall the promise of the resurrection, and ask for comfort and strength for those who mourn.

There then follows a Commendation, in which the person who has died is entrusted to God’s love

The funeral service ends with the Committal - a particularly solemn moment. This takes place either at the graveside or, in the case of a cremation, in the crematorium chapel or in church before the hearse leaves for the crematorium.

In the cemetery or churchyard, the family will gather round the open grave into which the coffin is lowered and they will hear the words:

We therefore commit his / her body to the ground;

earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust;

in the sure and certain hope of the Resurrection to eternal life.

Handfuls of earth are then scattered on the coffin.

At a crematorium, the words of committal are normally accompanied by the closing of a curtain to hide the coffin from.view.

The committal can be a very emotional moment. Many who are suffering grief find that, even in their sadness, the words of prayer can lift them towards the experience of Christian rejoicing in the knowledge of life beyond death.

The offering of prayer and the trust that the person is in God's safe hands can begin the process of healing the grief of loss.

Arranging a funeral

The person who has died might have left a paragraph in their Will describing the sort of funeral arrangements they hoped for. Naturally, the family will want to keep to such arrangements as far as possible.

Not everyone knows that they have the right to a funeral in their parish church even if they have not been church-goers. Nor do practising Christians always realise that they can have a Communion service as part of the funeral.

Parish clergy regard the taking of funerals as an important part of their work. They give a lot of time to visiting families, comforting those who are facing loss, finding out what service they want to use and helping them to arrange it.

If a local minister is to be asked to take the service, this should be done before any other funeral arrangements are made to make sure one is free and available. If the minister did not know the person who has died, then it would help to provide some details.

The funeral director plays a very important part in all these arrangements and will want to know if the funeral is to be in the parish church or if the minister is to take the service in the crematorium. Funeral directors know the local ministers, the local cemeteries and the crematoria. As part of a national network of funeral directors, they can, if necessary, give advice on funerals in other parts of the country, as well as on costs and fees.

Burials and cremations

In many country parishes, the churchyard is still open for burials and the parish clergy are able to advise on suitable memorials. In most towns, burials now take place in the local cemetery and the funeral director can advise. If the churchyard is still open for burials, the person who has died may be buried there if they lived or died in the parish, whether or not they regularly attended church.

These days, six out of ten funerals make use of the crematorium. This leaves the question of what is to be done with the ashes. Crematoria have gardens of rest where they can be buried and many churchyards have a special place set aside for burying ashes even when there is no space left for graves.

When this burial takes place, usually a few days after the funeral, a further very brief service can be held if the family wish it and some suitable commemorative mark or record may be made.

After the funeral

People who have lost someone close to them are often so busy with practical details and arrangements between the death and the funeral that they do not experience the full sense of their loss until later.

Grieving is a natural and important part of coming to terms with and healing this loss and it may continue for several months. The local church is there to help with support after a funeral. Please speak to your minister. Sometimes it is those who have suffered a close bereavement themselves, clergy or lay people, who can most easily offer comfort and support to those who mourn.

Comfort is also to be found in the promises of Jesus Christ, in the hope of the Resurrection and in the belief that the beloved person is safe in the hands of God.

Derby Deaf Church meets in St Nicholas' Church (chapel), Allestree on the second Sunday of the month (3.00-5.00pm). 

The community leader is Sarah Tupling. First language at this service is BSL.

Signed Services in Derby

Regular Services in British Sign Language take place in St. Alkmunds Church, Kedleston Road, Derby.

The Bishop of Derby will be presenting his “Bishops Badge” to people in the community who have shown an outstanding contribution to their community or church at two special services at Derby Cathedral (3pm) and St John’s Buxton (6pm) on Sunday 29 September.

123 people from all over Derbyshire have been nominated to receive the Badge.

The Bishop of Derby, Rt Revd Dr Alastair Redfern said: "The Bishops Badge is an important event each year for the Diocese. It's a moment when we stop to say thank you to people who selflessly, week after week, just get on with doing what the Gospel is about. Nobody can apply for it. You are nominated by your community. It's a real pat on the back to people who aren't looking for recognition."

A video introducing a few of those nominated was published on the diocesan website, www.derby.anglican.org today.

Brian Hamilton said “I was delighted to receive a letter from the Bishop saying I was going to be awarded the Bishop’s Badge which is very much unexpected. It’s a privilege and an honour to be able to receive it in acknowledgement of the work I do in the parish.”

Vernon Mather MBE said: “ I was quite shocked when I got the letter from the Bishop saying I’d been nominated for one of his badges, that coming on top of an MBE from Buckingham Palace a few years ago was quite something.“

The General Synod of the Church of England meets in London in February for a three day meeting from 2.00 pm on Monday 10^thFebruary until 5.30 pm on Wednesday 12^th February. 

The agenda for the meeting is published today.  The main item of business will be the Revision Stage for the draft legislation to enable women to become bishops.  In an unusual move, this will be taken on the floor of the Synod without there having been a prior Revision Committee.   There will also be three other debates as part of the women bishops process: on the Declaration and Disputes Resolution Procedure agreed by the House of Bishops in December; to initiate the process to rescind the 1993 Act of Synod; and to suspend part of the Standing Orders in order to accelerate the process for referring the legislation to the dioceses. These debates will take up much of Tuesday 11^th February.

There will also be debates on Gender-Based Violence, the Girl Guides’ Promise, the environment and fossil fuels and the use of vesture in Church services.  The Group of Sessions will conclude with a presentation on the report from the House of Bishops Working Group on Human Sexuality.  A Diocesan Synod Motion from the Guildford Diocesan Synod on the Magna Carta is listed as Contingency Business.

On the Monday afternoon there will be a presentation on Ethical Investment by the Ethical Investment Advisory Group (EIAG). The EIAG will give an overview of the Church of England’s approach to ethical investment, in particular the work it has done on reflecting the Church’s position on alcohol more faithfully and supporting purposeful investment in business.  It will summarise the issues that the EIAG is currently working on, including the use of pooled funds in ethical investment and an ethical investment approach to climate change. 

This will be followed by a further policy-focused debate, this time on Gender-Based Violence. The debate will be preceded by a short presentation by Mandy Marshall and Peter Grant who are co-directors of Restored Relationships, an international Christian alliance working to transform relationships and end violence against women. 

Each session will be followed by a Question and Answer session with Synod members.  The debate on Gender-Based Violence will be followed by a brief period of worship.

The sequence of business of Tuesday 19^th November in relation  Women in the Episcopate will be as follows. First, the Synod will debate a motion from the House of Bishops inviting the Synod to welcome the draft House of Bishops’ draft Declaration and Disputes Resolution Regulations.  Secondly, there will be the Revision Stage on the floor of the Synod of the draft Measure and Amending Canon.  Thirdly, Synod will give initial consideration to a draft Act of Synod to rescind the Episcopal Ministry Act of Synod 1993.  Finally, there will be a motion to suspend part of Standing Order 90 to reduce the normal minimum length of time for an Article 8 Reference to the dioceses from six months to three months to allow a faster passage of the final stages of the Women in the Episcopate legislation.

The Archbishop of Canterbury will give a Presidential Address on the morning of Wednesday 12^th February.

This will be followed by a debate on a package of proposals for legislative change in relation to safeguarding and related disciplinary matters, which has been developed in response to the reports of the Chichester commissaries.  This includes making it easier to suspend clergy, or bring complaints against them, where abuse is alleged, enabling bishops to compel clergy to undergo risk assessments and imposing a duty on relevant persons to have regard to the House of Bishops’ safeguarding policies.  The intention is to introduce legislation in July 2014 but given the importance and range of the proposals this report gives Synod the opportunity to consider the package in February before the legislation is prepared.

Later that morning, there will be a debate on a motion from the Southwark Diocesan Synod on Environmental Issues.  This will build further on the work being carried out by the Church of England Ethical Investment Advisory Group (EIAG).  The Diocesan Synod Motion calls for the establishment of a General Synod Working Group on the Environment to look into this further.

Two Private Members’ Motions will be debated on Wednesday afternoon.  The first, tabled by Mrs Alison Ruoff (London Diocese), references the recent changes to the Girl Guides’ Promise.  The second, to be moved by the Reverend Christopher Hobbs, calls on the General Synod to amend Canon B 8 so that the wearing of the forms of vesture referred to in that Canon ‘becomes optional rather than mandatory’.

Finally, there will be a presentation from Sir Joseph Pilling on the recent Report of the House of Bishops’ Working Group on Human Sexuality which was published on 28 November.  There will be an opportunity for questions on the process and next steps on the Pilling Report. 

Couples who are thinking of marrying are invited to attend the “How to plan a great wedding” event at St Nicholas Church Allestree on Monday 20^th January 7.30pm.

The relaxed, non-commercial event will allow couples thinking of marriage to meet couples who married in 2013 and share advice and tips on the planning process whilst enjoying a drink and canapés. For those that are considering getting married in church there will also be a chance to talk to a vicar about the process and options available including blessings in church after a civil ceremony in this country or abroad.

Revd William Bates said: “When I talk to couples the expense is clearly a big factor in delaying getting married and there is often a feeling that prices increase simply because it’s a wedding.

We planned this event to allow newly married couples to share their experiences and offer advice to couples thinking of getting married. It’s also a chance for couples who perhaps hadn’t considered getting married in church to come along and see what we can offer.

Planning a wedding and getting married should be a special time and I hope this event can help demonstrate that there are lots of options to allow you to have a great wedding without too much expense. “

The event is free but please book to reserve your place : 01332 550224 williambates@btconnect.com

A new Business Innovation Centre is due to launch next month to support new and growing businesses and social enterprises. St. Peter’s in the City will utilise space within the Church and Centre by offering desk space to new or existing businesses and social ventures.

The launch will take place on Tuesday 4^th February, 12 noon at St Peter’s in the City.

The church will offer office space at significantly lower than average rents and support from professional mentors. There will also be help with sourcing available funding through the Church Urban Fund, Local Enterprise Partnership and individual donors.

St. Peter’s already supports local people in a number of ways including debt advice, Refugee and Asylum Seekers, food parcels, a children’s clothes bank and to retail and business through the chaplaincy service, and their involvement in the St Peters Quarter Business Improvement District (BID).

Canon Paul Morris from St. Peter’s In the City explained: “In light of the Redfern Commission, an Innovation Centre offers a very practical and co-operative response to the employment pressures faced by many – including young people and those who have been made redundant and want support to set up their own businesses.

“Our research shows that businesses would greatly benefit from having the DE1 postcode but cannot always afford the city centre rents and rates.

“This will therefore support businesses and organisations who are working to address social needs in the city with space for up to eight ‘hot desks’ with greatly reduced rents and the support they need to start new businesses or grow existing businesses – creating much needed local jobs.

“We believe St. Peter’s is uniquely placed in our region to take this model that has worked so well elsewhere and adapt it to local needs, priorities and aspirations.”

The Rt Revd Dr Alastair Redfern, Bishop of Derby said:

"I welcome this exciting new venture. It shows the church working in partnership with businesses and with those seeking to create employment. It will enable new ventures to develop and to enhance the life of our city. We have a particular role in bringing together people from different backgrounds and perspectives to create new life - very appropriate for a city of innovation."

Eco Church News is targeted at Diocese of Derby parishes engaging in the Eco Church scheme and/or working towards Net Zero. 

For more about that see the bitesize video.

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St John’s Church, Ridgeway joined up with their local community last night to perform an open air nativity. The event , started at the church and was hosted by the Bridge Inn at Ford. It was scripted by Sharon Taylor, a children’s dramatist who lives in the village. Children from Ridgeway primary school starred in the performance and joined the choir.

Around 200 people attended the event which included a mixture of traditional carols, a folk wassail and a nativity-adjusted version of Slade’s “Merry Christmas Ev’rybody!” all played by a folk band from Dronfield (which includes curate, Revd Ian Price).

The local WI also provided refreshments, and a local farmer supplied the bales.

Revd Ian Price said: “It was nice to see the community come together and importantly, the Gospel of what Christmas is about was shared in public, and people were invited to contact and find out more. Plans are already afoot to do another one next year.”  

Christmas is about beginnings says Revd Ben Griffith in a new video broadcast today on the Diocesan website www.derby.anglican.org

He says: “For many Christmas has become an event, a party, a day to get together, and all these things are good but surely there must be something more?. The Christmas story doesn’t end with an event it begins with one. The birth of Jesus is astounding, but it’s astounding because of what happens next. Jesus went on to challenge the way we view our existence, our self-centeredness and to open us up to the possibility of a life with God, here and now.”

He continues “ Perhaps this Christmas we can go further than events and deepen our relationships with God and each other, Christmas is about beginnings.”

A different video has been shown each week in advent featuring people from all around the Diocese and what advent means to them. They are all available to view on our Youtube channel.

Please see Initial Ministerial Education page for all Training Priest resources.

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