Funeral Guide
Psalm 116:15
"Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints." (ESV)
Special Facilities Available: | Fellowship Hall | Grief Classes | Hymns
INTRODUCTION
For those currently preparing to plan a funeral Service for their loved one, we extend to you our condolences in Christ Jesus. Hopefully this funeral guide will prepare you for your meeting with one of our pastors at the Church.
A funeral Service at Mount Olive Lutheran Church is a confession of faith in Christ Jesus and the promise of Eternal Life the Christian has in Him. Therefore the primary focus is on our Lord and His grace as applied to your loved one from their Baptism through their daily Christian life right through to their blessed rest in Christ. Our prayer in every funeral Service is that faith in Christ would be renewed and enriched and that God would be glorified, as the deceased is remembered.
Mount Olive Lutheran Church provides onsite Funeral Services Monday to Saturday between 10am and 3pm (The times that work best at Mount Olive are 11am and 1pm). After 4pm, and on Saturdays, the various cemeteries in Regina charge families overtime fees. Funerals are not conducted on Sundays and Festival Days like Easter Sunday and Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. Pastors will help you find the date and time that works best for your family and the Congregation.
If you have access to the baptismal and confirmation of baptism certificates of your loved one please bring them with you to your meeting with the pastor. It is also often helpful to bring along their personal Bible or any prayer books they regularly used as they can be helpful for choosing Scripture readings.
STRUCTURE OF THE FUNERAL SERVICE
A funeral service at Mount Olive Lutheran Church includes the following basic elements.
- Hymns - A funeral service normally has three or four hymns, one at the beginning and at the end of the service, and one or two in the middle, usually before and after the sermon.
- Invocation
- Introduction - The Pastor’s greeting to the worshipers, including a Scripture from Romans 6 and the use of the funeral pall as a remembrance of Baptism
- Litany - The service includes responses between Pastor and congregation.
- Old Testament Reading, often the 23rd Psalm.
- Responses to the Readings - Again spoken by Pastor and congregation.
- A New Testament Reading
- A Gospel Reading Usually John 14:1-7.
- Apostles’ Creed - A brief historical statement confessing the Christian faith.
- Pastor’s Sermon - Here are some examples of Messages given at Mount Olive
- Prayers and Lord’s Prayer
- Commendation - Commending the deceased to the Lord’s care and keeping.
- Benediction and Blessing
- A note about the internment or cremation is usually printed in the worship folder.
- A note about memorials helps family and friends direct memorial gifts according to the family’s wishes
Tributes or "Eulogies" are not expected or required elements in a Lutheran funeral service. However, the goal of a tribute, if present, is to give a brief summary of the individual’s life in Christ and present the hope and faith they had in life. When present tributes happen before the Invocation. Alternately, families may wish to have family members or others read tributes after funeral guests are seated in the Parish Hall, before the funeral luncheon begins, or even privately at the graveside with close family and friends, or at a post or pre Service Wake or family gathering.
CHOICE OF HYMNS
Families meeting with the Pastor will choose hymns for the funeral Service. Here are some hymns that are frequently used at Mount Olive.
- Abide with Me! Fast Falls the Eventide
- Amazing Grace
- Beautiful Saviour
- Guide Me Ever, Great Redeemer
- How Great Thou Art
- How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds
- I Know that My Redeemer Lives!
- If You But Trust in God to Guide You
- It Is Well with My Soul
- Jesus Lives! the Victory's Won!
- Jesus, Lead Thou On
- Just as I Am
- The King of Love My Shepherd Is
- Lift High the Cross
- The Lord's My Shepherd
- Lord Take My Hand and Lead Me
- Love Divine, All Loves Excelling
- A Mighty Fortress
- My Faith Looks up to Thee
- My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less
- God, Our Help in Ages Past
- Love that Will not Let Me Go
- Rock of Ages
- This Is My Father's World
- What a Friend We Have in Jesus
- There Is a Redeemer
- Great Is Thy Faithfulness
Children's Songs
- Children of the Heavenly Father
- I Am Jesus Little Lamb
- Jesus Loves Me
Christian Grief Counseling
"Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." (Galatians 6:2 ESV) Grief needs to be shared carrying the burden of it alone is very painful at Mount Olive we offer opportunity to share your grief with others. Take a look at what is offered here for you and your family click here.
Christian Estate Planning
In the Holy Scriptures, God’s people are encouraged to set aside a portion of their resources as thanks to Him for the many rich blessings He provides. As part of this process, many of God’s people also set aside a portion of their estate for the Lord’s work.
These resources represent a portion of what the Lord has enabled them to acquire during their lifetime.
As Christians, our greatest blessing is living each day with the promise of eternal life, made available to us through the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Given all these blessings, it’s natural to give thanks all the way through our life’s journey.
Setting aside a gift for the Lord’s work as part of our estate planning is a way of saying thanks to our Lord one final time, and a way of sharing God’s blessings with ministries that are important to us. Our planned gift allows us to contribute to a ministry that’s important to us, so that these ministries might continue their work for years to come.
You may find the following helpful:
(1) Information on wills and estates in the form of a wills check-up helps establish a clear plan with regard to the steps to take in completing your estate planning. Wills Checkup
(2) Some Christians choose to include a Christian preamble as an opening paragraph in their will. This is a simple way of witnessing to your faith at a critical time.
Preamble to Will / Testament
(3) Power of attorney issues are an important consideration. This has to do with having a trusted individual deal with your business and financial affairs should you be unable to do so yourself. This is an area where the assistance of a lawyer is very helpful.
(4) A Healthcare Directive enables health care professionals to know your preferences in terms how you would like your medical care to be handled should you be critically ill. A lawyer’s assistance is not required with this document. (Link to Health_Care_Directive / Health_Care_Directive_pt2
(5) The Lutheran Foundation Canada has some excellent planned giving tools on their website. It’s located at www.lutheranfoundation.ca. Examples of planned gifts are found here. This site notes the process by which publicly traded shares may be gifted to an organization. In 2006, the Canadian federal government removed the capital gains tax on publicly traded shares when they are gifted to a registered charity.
(6) The Lutheran Foundation Canada also has gift coordinators available to assist you in your planned giving. There is no cost for this service.
David Friesen
Gift Coordinator
3074 Portage Avenue
Winnipeg, MB R3K 0Y2
Office: 1-800-588-4226 ext 2225
Cell: 204-791-9949
If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us at the church.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Mount Olive Lutheran Church
2015 4th Avenue North
Regina, Saskatchewan
Pastor Ted Giese
Church Office - 306-543-9744
Pastor Giese - 306-543-2868
Pastor Albrecht - 306-591-4240