Funerals at St Laurence, Measham

A funeral marks the close of a human life on earth. It is the opportunity for friends and family to express their grief, to give thanks for the life which has now completed its journey in this world, and to commend the person into God's keeping.

A funeral may be a small, quiet ceremony or a large occasion in a packed church, at the graveside or at the crematorium.

St Laurence’s is one of eight churches in the Woodfield Team of Churches, which covers the villages from the Derby border at Moira, through to Swepstone; from Normanton-le-Heath down to Norton-juxta-Twycross.
 

Who would take the service?

We have a whole team of ministers who take funeral services – both at the local parish churches and at the crematorium. All of them have been specially trained in taking funeral services. This means that if one person is not free to take a service at a particular time, we have others who can take the service.

Those who take funerals are: Vivien Elphick (Team Rector); Rick Tett (Team Vicar); Wilma Colley (curate); Brenda Campbell; Barry Dryden;Edwina Wallace; and Derek Tomlin.

Everyone is entitled to have a funeral service in their local parish church regardless of whether they attended church or not. As regards a burial, St Laurence’s Churchyard has been closed as it is full. Burials in Measham take place in the Parish Council cemetery in Bosworth Road. After the service in St Laurence’s, we go along  to the cemetery for the burial. Similarly we can have a service in church and then go on to the crematorium for the committal.
 

What form will the service take?

The minister taking the service will always visit the next of kin, where possible, and at the very least will have spoken to them by phone. The purpose of this is to get to know each other before the service itself. It also means we can plan the service, and find out what the next of kin would like said about the person who has died.  This visit is included in the fees set out below.

 The service will be personal. Normally, it would include prayers (for the person who has died and those missing them most), the Lord’s Prayer, a Bible reading and some hymns. In addition, family and friends often choose particular music to be played, poems or other readings. A tribute may be given by a close friend or member of the family.

There is often a fear that the service will be too religious, or too sombre. We aim to make the service what the family or other next of kin want.

For more detail on the service, go to http://churchofenglandfunerals.org
 

What will it cost? For 2021:

After the service

What is helpful after the day of the funeral?

• We are very happy to visit again, to help you during the difficult period of adjusting. Just get in touch.
• Every year in October we hold a special Light of Love service. This is a service where there is the opportunity to light a candle in memory of your loved one, and to have them prayed for by name. You will receive an invitation to this, and details will be on the website.
• At the same time we have  Tree of Remembrance and pray for those named
• At Donisthorpe Church (one of our Team churches), we hold a monthly Lunch Light event for the bereaved.

For further details, contact Vivien Elphick at http://woodfieldteamrector@gmail.com