FUNERAL PLANNING

office@trinitylutheranparkland.org

PERSONAL INFORMATION

Name: ___________________________________________________________________

Address: ___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

Name of Contact: ____________________________________________________________

Phone Number of Contact: ______________________________

Date of Birth: __________________ Date of Death: _____________________

Church Membership: ______________________________________________________

Church Address: ______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

Church Phone: ____________________________________

Date of Baptism: ____________________________________

Place of Baptism: ______________________________________________________

Date of Confirmation: ____________________________________

Place of Confirmation: ______________________________________________________

CARE OF THE BODY

FUNERAL HOME

Name of Contact _________________________________________________________

Address _________________________________________________________

Phone _________________________

REMAINS

Buried ________ Cremated ________

CEMETERY/MAUSOLEUM

Name _________________________________________________________

Address _________________________________________________________

Phone _________________________

Date of Interment _________________________

In 1922 the Trinity Lutheran Cemetery was established at 13600

8^th Avenue East in Parkland, Washington. Burials of both caskets and cremation urns continue to be held each year, with graveside services arranged with the families. The walk-in gate is always open, so you can visit the cemetery at any time.

Finances to maintain the cemetery come through interest from the Cemetery Endowment Fund that grows through the sale of burial sites. The cemetery is beautifully maintained.

The cost of a single grave: Members $450

Non-Members $700

A single grave may be used for 2 cremation urns. A 3^rd or 4^th urn may be placed in the same grave for $100 each.

THE FUNERAL SERVICE

INTRODUCTION

The Christian funeral is a service of worship that encourages the active involvement of the congregation. Normally the funerals of practicing Christians are to be held in the church where their worship lives centered. If a funeral is held outside the church, it should still include congregational participation. Congregational singing and participation in the prayers are strongly encouraged.

We believe that the funeral service has at least three primary purposes: one, to mourn the death of the deceased; two, to give thanks to God for the life of the deceased; and three, to hear God’s word of comfort and hope for the living.

PLANNING FOR THE SERVICE

The family will meet with the pastor(s) to plan for the funeral service. This meeting should be scheduled as soon as possible. The time and date of the service need to be finalized in consultation with the pastor. If the deceased has left formal or informal instructions for the funeral service, those instructions will be incorporated into the planning process. The family can assist the process by beginning to respond to the following items prior to meeting the pastor. The family is also encouraged to consult with the Director of Music to discuss music for the service. Final preparations will be made during the meeting. The church secretary will prepare the bulletin in consultation with the pastor and the family.

DATE OF SERVICE _____ TIME OF SERVICE _____________________

PLACE

Trinity Sanctuary _____

· The primary center of worship at Trinity is the sanctuary, which easily holds over 500 seated guests. There is a large chancel area. There is a pipe organ and grand piano. To emphasize the proper spirit of the Season of the Church year, banners and hangings (paraments) are changed at the specified times of the year.

Trinity Chapel _____

· Trinity’s chapel holds up to 120 guests. There is a pipe organ and a baby grand piano in this room.

OTHER POSSIBLE PLACES

Funeral Home _______________________________________

Graveside _______________________________________

Other _______________________________________

GATHERING PLACE (15 minutes prior to service)

Trinity Library _____ Trinity Fireside Room _____

TYPE OF SERVICE

Funeral (Body present) ______

• The casket is to be closed prior to the beginning of the service.

• The ceremonies of social or fraternal societies do not take place within the service of the Church.

• The presentation of a flag to the family can be done at the end of the service.

READINGS

Bible _________________________________________

_________________________________________

Some Possible Bible Readings

Old Testament Lesson: Psalm 23 Psalm 42:1-7

Psalm 46:1-7 Psalm121

Psalm 143 Job 19:23-27a

Isaiah 25:6-9 Isaiah 61:1-3

Lamentations 3:22-26, 31-33

New Testament Lesson: Romans 5:1-11 Romans 5:17-21

1 Peter 1:3-9 Romans 8:31-35, 37-39

1 John 3:1-2 1 Corinthians 15:12-26

Revelation 7:9-17 Revelation 21:2-7

Gospel: Matthew 11:25-30 Matthew 25:1-13

Luke 12:35-40 John 5:24-29

John 6:37-40 John 11:21-27

John 14:1-6

Other Reading _________________________________________

PASTOR(S)

Presiding _________________________________________

Preaching _________________________________________

MUSIC

Organist/Pianist _________________________________________

• If the service is at Trinity, the Director of Music or someone appointed by the Director of Music will serve as the organist/pianist.

• All music is to be chosen in consultation with the Director of Music and Pastor. It is to be fitting for a worship service.

Congregational Hymns or Songs _________________________________________

_________________________________________

Special Music Requests _________________________________________

_________________________________________

Vocal/Instrumental Soloist ___________________________ Phone: ____________

Name of Piece: _______________________________ Composer: ______________

OTHERS INVOLVED IN WORSHIP

Sharing of Memories _________________________________________

_________________________________________

• Those who are sharing their memories are encouraged to write their reflections down.

Pallbearers ______________________ _______________________

______________________ _______________________

Communion Assistants ______________________ _______________________

______________________ _______________________

Ushers ______________________ _______________________

______________________ _______________________

If there is a funeral home involved, they will provide ushers. If not, are there close friends who want to be helpful? If you wish, the administrative associate will recruit a couple of expert congregational ushers to assist. For large funerals at least two trained ushers are necessary.

Sound Engineer ___________________________________

Trinity’s sound engineers are wonderfully adept at making sure there are no awkward gaps due to poor ‘mic’ cues. In addition, they will provide an audio tape of the service for the family, upon request. The sound engineers are needed if the funeral is in the main sanctuary.

GUEST BOOK

Provided by: ___________________________________________________________

If you are working with a funeral home, they might provide a guest book. If such is not the case, or you may bring your own. Trinity can also set out guest pages for folks to sign. You might like to then put these together with a cover as a memory book.

FLOWERS

Provided by: ____________________________________________________________

Phone Number: ____________________________

The altar is a sacramental table, and must not have flowers or candles on it. Altar flowers are placed to the side of the altar or directly behind the altar, or, most commonly, on the steps leading to the altar.

Flowers in the narthex welcome the guests coming in to the service, and can be placed with the guest book, or on a table by themselves.

When ordering flowers from your florist, they should be in a self-contained vase.

Nothing may be placed on the piano. Church furnishings may not be moved.

COMMITTAL SERVICE

Place ___________________________________

Time ___________________________________

Pastor ___________________________________

Other? ___________________________________

OBITUARY

It is common practice to put an obituary in the funeral bulletin. This can be the same as was printed in the newspaper, or can be modified to offer a better look at a loved one’s life. The obituary should include the person’s full name, the parents’ names, as well as siblings, spouse, children, etc. When writing an obituary, think about what made this person unique and special to those who knew him or her! You may wish to write about the person’s faith – it’s good to know this loved one had a solid foundation on which to construct a life. Do you have baptism, confirmation, wedding dates? Church and community involvement to write about?

RECEPTION

A reception at the funeral provides occasion for visiting, fellowship, conversation with family and friends. The Trinity reception crew will do everything to make sure the reception is well-provided for. They will have suggestions of food and drink, but welcome the family’s input, too. All the kitchen work, including doing dishes long after others have left, is carefully and joyfully provided by this great group of volunteers.

FUNERAL ‘HELPING HANDS’

FUNERAL COORDINATOR

The administrative associate clears the calendar for the time of the service, notifies the reception crew, the musician, the sexton, and the sound engineer (and Campus Safety, if parking is needed in the Library Lot). He or she puts together a bulletin, with input from the pastor(s) and the family. As our bulletins are printed in-house, you will be given a choice of bulletin covers to look through, or many simply wish to print a favorite passage of scripture there. The order of worship will be printed on the inside of the bulletin, as well as the obituary. Your ideas are most welcome: we want this to be for your family.

SEXTON

Trinity’s sexton is actively involved in preparing the sanctuary/chapel for the service and Thompson Hall/Fireside Room for the reception. He is available to move flowers, bring more chairs, open rooms as needed, and much more. If burial or inurnment is to be in Trinity Cemetery, he will mark out the site for the grave, and later for the marker.

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THE FUNERAL

RECORDS

After the service, information about the deceased is recorded in Trinity’s Official Register of Pastoral Acts. Such information is usually provided by the funeral home in the “Clergy Record” and includes: name, age, date of birth, date of death, where interred, when interred, date of service, and officiant(s).

MEMORIALS

When a funeral or memorial service is held at Trinity, the church is typically designated to receive donations in memory of the person who died. Other charitable groups can also be named if the family desires.

The church sends a thank you card to each memorial fund donor, and the name of the person being remembered is included in the monthly newsletter. If the family desires, they are welcome to give input regarding the use of the memorial funds for Trinity ministries. Once a decision is made, a record of the person being memorialized and the purpose of the memorial is recorded in a book that is maintained by the Altar Guild.

FOLLOW WITH THE BEREAVED

After the funeral, when the family has gone back home and all the visitors stop coming, one quite often feels the loss more intently. Both of Trinity’s pastors are available for follow-up and referral. We hope you feel that we are part of your extended family, as God has named us his.

DIRECTIONS TO TRINITY, PARKING

From Interstate 5, take Exit 127 Eastbound (State Route 512). Get off at the Parkland exit and take a right onto Pacific. Proceed south on Pacific Avenue until you reach the stop light at 121^st Street. Take a right onto 121^st, proceed 1½ blocks west. There is a small parking lot across from the double doors into the business offices of the church. You may continue around the church counterclockwise onto Park Avenue, then onto Wheeler, where you will find a very large parking lot, belonging to PLU. Both the church and chapel face Wheeler Street. When services occur during the weekday school hours, the administrative associate coordinates with PLU Campus Safety, so that cars will not be ticketed.

DIRECTIONS TO THE TRINITY CEMETARY

From Interstate 5, take Exit 127 Eastbound (State Route 512). Get off at the Parkland exit and take a right onto Pacific. Proceed south on Pacific Avenue until you reach the stop light at 138^th Street . Take a left on 138^th and go east on 138^th Street to 8^th Avenue. Turn left on 8^th Avenue and go two blocks to entrance of the cemetery.

FEES

Name of Deceased _____________________________ Date __________________

Pastoral Services: _____________________________ ______

(Pastoral services are provided by Trinity. Any

donation for pastoral services will be placed in the

Pastor’s Mission Fund, which is used for special mission

needs/projects in the congregation and the community.

In this area, the current customary fee for pastoral

services is $150.)

Funeral Coordinator: __________________________ $ 75

Organist/pianist: _____________________________ $125

Vocalist or instrumentalist: ____________________________ $ 75

(Other than organist/pianist)

Sexton: __________________________ $ 50

Reception (beverage & snack) $100

Reimbursement for additional food requested by family ______

Cemetery Plot ______

Other: ______________________________________________ ______

TOTAL ______

One check can be made payable to: Trinity Lutheran Church. The Church Administrator will then disburse the funds accordingly.

September 8, 2004