When the church is notified that a parishioner or member of his or her family has died, the clergy will as quickly as possible respond and begin to make plans for the Rite of Burial. At the same time, the following ministries are notified and some or all with be involved with the family during this time of loss.

Altar Guild:  After consulting and planning with the family, the clergy will provide a detailed communication to members of the altar guild about the family’s wishes regarding flowers, etc., for the service.  The following describes whateach ministry will do—the clergy person working with the family of the person who has died will be the liaison for all these groups.

Funeral Guild: If the family requests that a visitation be held at the church before or after a funeral, the clergy will also work with this guild, which is part of the ECW, to plan and prepare for the family to receive visitors either in the library or Ascension Hall.

Joseph Ministry:Starting in September of 2018, Ascension will be equipped to provide additional support to a grieving family.  At the family’s request, the Joseph Ministry will assign a person to assist with the logistics surrounding a death and funeral.  Examples of the support a Joseph Minister provides include: being available to stay in the family’s home for several hours during the day helping receive and make records of food, flowers or other gifts the family may receive, helping to coordinate with caterer for any receptions of gatherings, and overall, helping to attend to details that can be overwhelming in a moment of significant grief.  For more information about this ministry, please contact, Laura Brendle.