May always concludes with “Memorial Day”, a time that is set aside for so much more than simply the transition to summer, family BBQ’s, and outdoor activities. It was originally set aside to remember the lives of those who have died in service of our country, and grew over the years to include celebrations of remembrance and “decorating” of grave sites to honor all of our loved ones who have died through the years. One of the collateral damages done by the pandemic is that we have all experienced more than a year of delayed memorial and funeral services for our deceased loved ones. We have done our very best to adapt to all this coming up with all kinds of smaller, alternative expressions of our grieving, but quite frankly, we’ve all been looking forward to a “new normal” where larger gatherings for family celebrations of all kinds can be expressed.

May I just remind you of some of the needs we have that “remembrance” services are designed to meet:

REALITY - Funerals help us truly acknowledge that someone in our life has died
RECALL - Remembering the loved one who died and sharing our unique memories of them with others creates hope for the future.
SUPPORT - Funerals bring together people who care about each other in an atmosphere of love and support
EXPRESSION - Memorials allow us to express our inner thoughts and feelings about life and death in the light of our faith
MEANING - Funerals mark the significance of the life that was lived, and can help us continue to live with our own sense of meaning and purpose even in the face of loss
TRANSCENDENCE - Sharing together the promises of God help us to embrace the loss with the security of the symbols of our faith knowing that there is more yet to come because death is but a doorway to being with God and our loved ones forever.

Please feel free to call our pastoral staff at Faith if you would like to discuss any of these needs and any “postponed plans” your family may have for celebrating the life of your loved ones because of the limitations we’ve had due to the pandemic this past year. May God’s peace bless and keep you!

Pastor Terry