Union Cong

We acknowledge that we only know a small piece of life. We trust that as we were with God before we were born, so we shall be after we die. We give thanks that God moves with us from life through death to life again.

It is most helpful to us as individuals and to our families, if we provide information about our lives and about our wishes for a funeral or memorial service prior to that information being needed. The church has forms that are useful and keeps the information on file. When the need arises, times for memorial services or funerals need to be cleared with the church prior to any public announcement of them. The officiating clergy meet with family members in preparation for such services.

Traditions are changing. The one-time pattern of a visitation/viewing/ wake at a mortuary, followed by a funeral service with the body present at church and committal at a cemetery is still practiced. Currently and more often, we have a memorial service at the church with a reception afterward. This may be preceded or followed by interment of the person’s remains in the church’s memorial garden or at a cemetery.

Please contact the church office for memorial forms, for information about planned giving, and for information about the Essex County Memorial Society, which provides information about costs and alternatives.