Planning for the End of Life
Planning and Celebrating Life
Baptized Christians are “properly buried from the church” (Book of Common Prayer, 490), meaning that your church wants to offer you the pastoral ministry of planning and celebrating the life of your loved one. Most importantly, the church must confirm requests for date and time for all arrangements before details are finalized with a funeral home or a club, or announced in the newspaper.
Notify St. Andrew’s of a Death
Please notify us of a death as immediately as possible by calling the church office at 816-523-1602. Rather than leaving a message, please speak directly with one of the priests. If you contact the church during working hours but a priest is not available, please ask the person who answers the phone to contact the priest on call. During non-working hours, please press 7 to be transferred directly to the priest on call. The family willing, a priest will want to visit (with or without the body present) to offer the prayers for the time of death. A priest will also want to meet with the family to plan the service. This meeting may take place at the church or in a family member’s home.
End-of-Life Planning Guide
We have created a booklet to help you plan the end-of-life process. The booklet contains:
- The process for end-of-life planning.
- Information needed by the church.
- Information needed before meeting with the priest to plan the service.
- Financial recommendations.
- Guidance in selecting Scripture and music, and in preparing obituaries.
- Considerations for flowers.