Funerals and memorial services are important components of celebrating the life of a loved on, working through the grief and pain of loss and laying claim to the promise of Baptism. It is not necessary to be a member to have a service at FJLC. Since one rarely knows when a funeral may occur, we make every effort to accommodate the needs of the family.

The funeral is important for four different but related reasons.  

• It gives all who knew and loved the departed an opportunity to come together in a safe and loving environment to grieve.  Many times we have emotions related to sorrow, loss and even anger. The church provides a place to express ourselves in real and authentic ways in the presence of God and of those we know.
• The Funeral/Memorial service gives us all the opportunity to acknowledge that this particular chapter in our lives has come to a close and we can say farewell to a good and faithful servant.  
• The Funeral/Memorial service is a time to give thanks and praise to God for allowing us to love and be loved, to journey on life's pathway with the departed.  We are who we are because of the people in our lives and we thank God for allowing us to know and to love them as we have been known and loved by them. But most of all we thank God for the promise of the resurrection to new life!!
• This sacred time allows the community to celebrate the promise of baptism and remember our own baptisms and the promise of eternal life with those we love in the Kingdom which will have no end

PRE-PLANNING

Pre-Planning  is a process that can be a bit uncomfortable but also can be a real blessing - especially for your family members.  Pre-planning gives you time to think about the form and flow of the service as well as pick meaningful Scripture readings, hymns and ask people to speak at the service.  Pre-Planning also relieves your family of the stress of making many decisions in times of pain and stress.