Funerals
A SERVICE FOR EVERYONE
From the moment you are in touch with us, throughout the funeral service and for as long as you need us afterwards, we’re here for you. Anyone can have a Church of England funeral, whether churchgoers or not.
When someone dies, we understand how difficult this can be. There’s so much to think about, but we can help you express your grief in a way that really helps.
““God our Father, we thank you for the person we knew, the years we shared, the good we saw, and the love we received.”
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We will celebrate and give thanks to God for the unique life of the person you knew and loved
We can support you, your family and friends before, during and after the funeral with friendship and prayer, understanding your sadness and loss
And in this difficult time, we will share a message of hope and comfort
WE’LL BE WHERE YOU NEED US TO BE
A Church of England funeral can take place in any one of these locations:
At the crematorium
At an outdoor woodland or green burial site
In a church
In a cemetery
Someone from the church will visit you to hear about the person you knew, and will go through all the details of the funeral service itself.
Many people use a funeral director who will get in touch with us on your behalf, or feel free to contact us.
Gift of Life Service
Each October we gather for a service to remember with thanksgiving those whom we love and miss. Any are welcome to join us, however long-standing or recent their bereavement. No amount of time ever makes the sense of loss any less acute. Our prayer is that this service may be a small help in your journey.
Our Community’s Churchyard
Every parish church wishes its churchyard to be a place of peace and refuge for those who mourn and to be a place where the mortal remains of their loved ones can rest safely. We hope such provision will be an expression of the care and love the church seeks to extend to the whole community.
As far as possible the church tries to ensure that everyone who uses their churchyard is treated with fairness, equality and consistency. To that end, each churchyard is governed by a set of Regulations which are issued by the Chancellor of the Diocese, and which say what is or is not allowed unless special permission has been given in a particular case by the Chancellor. If there is a good reason in an individual case for allowing a memorial which is different from those which are allowed by the Regulations then the Chancellor will consider whether to authorise such a memorial but that permission can only be given by the Chancellor, and the local clergy and churchwardens are required to respect the Regulations. This means that the local clergy and churchwardens cannot permit every kind of memorial or grave design and cannot allow a memorial which is outside the Regulations.
Sometimes families are surprised that the choice of the memorial to their loved one cannot be a matter of private choice but has to fit in with what the Regulations direct. The Regulations do allow room for individuality and imagination in the design of memorials but within certain limits and there are good reasons for this, to do with the special nature of Churchyards.
They are:-
An extension of the church’s witness to God and his promise of eternal life through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. What is put in churchyards therefore needs to be consistent with the spiritual values of the Christian faith.
Historical places. The clergy are stewards of a very long heritage which needs to be preserved and passed on to the next generation.
Shared spaces. Here the differing tastes and traditions of many families need to be kept in harmony with each other, so that discord and conflict can hopefully be avoided.
In short, the Regulations aim to maintain the churchyard as a haven, which in appearance and atmosphere ensures that all can find space for peaceful reflection and dignified remembrance of their loved ones.
You can read the Regulations by visiting the Lichfield Diocesan website:
www.lichfield.anglican.org/documents/churchyard-regulations
The Diocese has set some guidance for the shared space of graveyards and we value your consideration and patience with others during their grief. The only permanent items are to be authorised memorial stones and there should be no other disturbance below ground level. Temporary flower holders are useful to keep flowers looking fresh for longer and there are often spares kept by the church wall. Artificial flowers, gravel, plants or other items are not officially permitted and may be removed at the pastoral discretion of the Wardens and PCC. By way of exception to this, the placing of wreaths and poppies is permissible in the periods of and leading up to Remembrance Day, Christmas, and Easter and on the anniversaries of death or marriage. Portable items and mementos may be placed after burial. Such items are to be removed within one month after those occasions. We truly value your support in helping maintain a fitting and suitable space for grief.