Death is a universal experience of life ...

Death is a universal experience of life. A significant aspect of the ministry of your staff at West End United Methodist Church is to join with you in facing death. Your ministers offer their presence at any time of crisis and especially when death is imminent or has occurred. In the event of death they want to be called at any hour.

Funerals and Memorial Services

A Christian funeral (when the body is present) or memorial service (when the body is not present) is an opportunity for believing people to gather in faith to praise God for the gift of life. It is also an opportunity to ask God for strength and courage to accept death.

The church seeks to help its members express their faith in their response to death as well as in their daily lives.

Death presents an occasion for the church to unite in the celebration of the victory of faith. There will be mourning but the mourner is under girded by the fellowship of the people of God.

A Guide for Members

The following suggestions are presented to guide members of West End United Methodist Church in the hope that in time of death each shall be helped in making the event an occasion for expressing faith in the God of life and death.

In the event of death, contact a minister of the church. During the day, you may call the Congregational Relationship Steward (615.321.8500, ext. 8822). You will be put in contact with a minister. If you call the church at night, an automated answering machine will tell you how to contact the minister in case of an emergency. Please do not hesitate to call regardless of the hour.

The funeral arrangements include consideration of time and place of the funeral and committal, the order of worship, and any verses of scripture of pieces of music that are particularly meaningful to the family. These arrangements should be completed with the help of the minister before information is given to the press and before the funeral director proceeds with plans.

Members of the church are encouraged to hold the funeral or memorial service in either the Sanctuary or Scales Chapel. The supporting faith of the Gospel can best be received where the Gospel is regularly proclaimed and where the symbols of the faith make it vivid. Wherever the funeral is conducted, church, home, funeral chapel or graveside, it is to be a service of Christian worship.

Music is a vital part of the service and should be carefully selected in consultation with the pastor and the Minister of Music. Some people find it comforting to make arrangements for their services well in advance, while they are still vital and healthy, often as an extension of their decision to sign a "Living Will." A pastor or the Minister of Music can guide you through the process of choosing your favorite hymns, service music, and/or scripture passages. A copy of the service you plan will be kept in the private files of the pastor or Minister of Music. This can be a tremendous help to your family.

The use of flowers is appropriate, but not necessary. If you choose to purchase flowers, they should look the same as the flowers used on Sunday mornings. Funeral arrangements sent to the church by family and friends will be placed in Reed Hall.

The church offers, to those who may desire its use, a pall to cover the casket. It is placed over the casket before it enters the sanctuary or chapel and remains on the casket during the service. The pall symbolizes the common humanity we share in death. No flowers are placed upon the pall.

The casket should be in place one hour prior to the service. The casket is not opened.

The rites of lodges, fraternal, social and civic groups are separate activities. They are not held in the sanctuary or chapel.

The "Order for the Burial of the Dead" as found in the Book of Worship of the United Methodist Church is the basis upon which the funeral service is planned.

Reed Hall may be reserved for receiving and greeting friends before or after the service. If a large number of people are expected McWhirter Hall is also available.

Members of the Funeral Committee will be present to help people who may not be familiar with our building find their way around.

There are no charges for the use of the sanctuary or chapel for funeral or memorial services. There are no fees for the minister or staff or organist. Such service is fulfillment of their vocation in the church. If a soloist is requested, the Minister of Music will let you know how much that person should be paid.

The Columbarium at West End

The Columbarium at West End, available for West End members and their families, and comprised of 240 niches (each niche will hold up to four urns) is located in the cloistered, courtyard garden.

A family or individual may select an entire niche or reserve the individual spaces within a niche.

Each space will have an engraved brass plate with the name of the person buried there, as well as the dates of their birth and death.

The columbarium at West End is operated and maintained by the Board of Trustees of West End United Methodist Church.

Arrangements can be made in advance to reserve space within the Columbarium at West End.

Great care has been taken to insure that the fees are reasonable.

Specific information about fees, reserving spaces and other important details are available from the Church Administrator's office.