Wendy Wortham on Finding a Minister for a Funeral or Memorial
When a loved one dies, one of the first issues the surviving family has to address are preparations for a funeral and burial service.
For families who don’t belong to a church but wish to have a Christian burial for their loved one, finding a Minister to officiate on short notice can present a challenge.
Which is why I offer these types of services as well as graveside through our website at www.texastwinsevents.com whether its a simple burial with a graveside memorial or service at the funeral home.
If you’ve never had to hire a Minister before to officiate a funeral, you might keep in mind that a monetary gift of $150-$200 is pretty standard. Texas Twins Events does offer a Military discount.
One of the ways in which a family can trim funeral costs is by having a simple graveside service instead of a large memorial or funeral service held in a chapel or church. Graveside services are usually short, 20-30 minute services that happen at the cemetery are led by a minister.
The advantage of a graveside service is cost, not all families are wealthy and not all people have life insurance, burial insurance or even cash in their savings account. With burial services running into the thousands of dollars, the surviving family has to make some tough decisions about what they can afford and what they can’t.
Renting a chapel, renting a reception hall, paying for food, flowers, programs, and processional escorts can easily add $5,000 to the cost of the burial. Having a graveside service can save a significant amount of money, which can be spent instead on things like a casket and a headstone.
There is also less time involved- a full blown memorial service, burial service and reception can take nearly four hours. For a family who is distraught, the energy just isn’t there for a service of this duration. Graveside services have the advantage of not taking nearly as long which works for both the family, and the guests who must return to work.
The cons of skipping the memorial service are no eulogy. While a short eulogy is said at graveside, it doesn’t compare with the eulogies given at a memorial service. Memorial services give family members and close friends an opportunity to share photographs and stories from the podium, something that doesn’t happen at a graveside service.
For families who ascribe to a particular faith, not having a memorial service to take the opportunity to visit with old friends or relatives they haven’t seen in awhile. Likewise, after the service, they tend to hang around longer if there is a relieving line, plenty of chairs and lots of food. With a graveside service, it’s standing only which results with people leaving at the earliest opportunity, which might not be desirable if you had hoped to visit with everyone individually.
I do hope this helps answer a few questions for you and encourage you to use the contact us link page on the website if there was a question I have overlooked.
