Dear F.H. Director;
How may I be of service to you? Would you keep my information on file in case a grave site visit, cremation or burial is needed, and the bereaved do not have an officiating minister? If the deceased was not a church member, but his/her loved ones nonetheless might want a minister present, officiating, I might be of service to you.
I'm on call with Zale Funeral Homes in Stratford, NJ, and 100 other funeral homes and several cemeteries in the Burlington, NJ and greater Philadelphia area. I do grave-site visits, home visitation, and in-house services (at the funeral home itself). Though I'm a Presbyterian minister, my services are broadly denominational, or can be non-denominational, if the need arises and the bereaved prefer it. I'm also able to do Episcopal services.
I'm associate pastor at Stratford Presbyterian Church, 41 Warwick Rd., Stratford, NJ. I graduated Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia with a Masters in Divinity (M.Div.), and was ordained in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (denomination).
If they request it, I'll call or visit the bereaved family a day or so before officiating the service in order to get a feel for how the service ought to be tailored to their needs or what to include/not include in my message. My base text for funerals is Comforting the Bereaved by Warren and David Wiersbe (Moody Press).
Here are two references:
Ray Zale, Zale Funeral Home, 712 N. White Horse Pike, Stratford, NJ 08084. (856)783-5100
Rev. Martin Dawson, Sr., Stratford Presbyterian Church, 41 Warwick Rd., Stratford, NJ, 08084 (856) 784-0674
Sincerely yours,
Rev. Richard S. Anderson
Associate Pastor
Stratford Presbyterian Church
41 Warwick Rd., Stratford, NJ 08084
My residence (manse):
725 Burlington Ave., Delanco. 08075
www.stratfordpres.org
(856) 313-3358
How may I be of service to you? Would you keep my information on file in case a grave site visit, cremation or burial is needed, and the bereaved do not have an officiating minister? If the deceased was not a church member, but his/her loved ones nonetheless might want a minister present, officiating, I might be of service to you.
I'm on call with Zale Funeral Homes in Stratford, NJ, and 100 other funeral homes and several cemeteries in the Burlington, NJ and greater Philadelphia area. I do grave-site visits, home visitation, and in-house services (at the funeral home itself). Though I'm a Presbyterian minister, my services are broadly denominational, or can be non-denominational, if the need arises and the bereaved prefer it. I'm also able to do Episcopal services.
I'm associate pastor at Stratford Presbyterian Church, 41 Warwick Rd., Stratford, NJ. I graduated Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia with a Masters in Divinity (M.Div.), and was ordained in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (denomination).
If they request it, I'll call or visit the bereaved family a day or so before officiating the service in order to get a feel for how the service ought to be tailored to their needs or what to include/not include in my message. My base text for funerals is Comforting the Bereaved by Warren and David Wiersbe (Moody Press).
Here are two references:
Ray Zale, Zale Funeral Home, 712 N. White Horse Pike, Stratford, NJ 08084. (856)783-5100
Rev. Martin Dawson, Sr., Stratford Presbyterian Church, 41 Warwick Rd., Stratford, NJ, 08084 (856) 784-0674
Sincerely yours,
Rev. Richard S. Anderson
Associate Pastor
Stratford Presbyterian Church
41 Warwick Rd., Stratford, NJ 08084
My residence (manse):
725 Burlington Ave., Delanco. 08075
www.stratfordpres.org
(856) 313-3358
A Scriptural View of Cremation
One of the problems that bereavement counselors and providers face is that of dealing with the modern trend of cremation. For so many, it's now become a first-choice option for bereaved families, and though more than one factor may bear upon how the bereaved commemorate the passing of the deceased in the funeral, the financial concern often seems, at least to them, pre-eminent at the time unless they can be better advised. Nonetheless, when that decision has not yet been made, nor is a "hard and fast" decision, there may yet be opportunity for counselors and providers to suggest the traditional alternative of burial; based on the teachings of Scripture. Keep in mind that even irreligious or unchurched families are most prone to think along these lines when contemplating the passing of a loved one; and it is at that time especially, that they may be open to other possibilities. Here are some bullet points to keep in mind. How you share them, however, must always be a matter of greatest discretion ...
1) The burning of bodies in the funeral is always associated in Scripture with divine disfavor upon the deceased.
2) When Scripture gives examples of burial, particularly of the godly, it almost always speaks of the care taken to preserve the remains in a state as life-like as possible.
3) Consider the burial and preparation of the body of Jesus, of Joseph, of Abraham, for example. The list goes on and on.
4) The teaching of Scripture is that the human body is not a "husk" to be discarded so that the purer soul may be freed of corruption and pain, for that is a pagan Greek notion from pre-Christian days. Rather, the body is spoken of as being just as essential to the person as is the spirit and soul; and that one day, both soul and body will be reunited. This distinction is effaced through cremation. With that in mind, remember how important symbolism is to the bereaved in funerals.
5) Man is made in the image and likeness of God. In that sense, the human body, though dead, is still sacred and should be treated as such, if not for the sake of the bereaved then for the sake of the deceased. I hope this has been helpful. I'll be elaborating more on these points in future blogs.
1) The burning of bodies in the funeral is always associated in Scripture with divine disfavor upon the deceased.
2) When Scripture gives examples of burial, particularly of the godly, it almost always speaks of the care taken to preserve the remains in a state as life-like as possible.
3) Consider the burial and preparation of the body of Jesus, of Joseph, of Abraham, for example. The list goes on and on.
4) The teaching of Scripture is that the human body is not a "husk" to be discarded so that the purer soul may be freed of corruption and pain, for that is a pagan Greek notion from pre-Christian days. Rather, the body is spoken of as being just as essential to the person as is the spirit and soul; and that one day, both soul and body will be reunited. This distinction is effaced through cremation. With that in mind, remember how important symbolism is to the bereaved in funerals.
5) Man is made in the image and likeness of God. In that sense, the human body, though dead, is still sacred and should be treated as such, if not for the sake of the bereaved then for the sake of the deceased. I hope this has been helpful. I'll be elaborating more on these points in future blogs.
