The weekend was surprisingly an excellent weekend. Justine was superb at leading the weekend and as well as offering training, offered space for us to think and explore. I think I learned a lot this weekend. There is no way that just a weekend teaches us all we need to know about death, dying and bereavement for our future roles, but this was a good start and we have been given some wise insights and ideas.

Just one simple thing – I guess I had not focused before that vicars do more funerals then they do of other things such as baptisms and weddings. Unlike the former, funerals cannot be neatly slotted in and planned for as death is outside of our control.

It has made me think in my role within emerging/fresh expressions of church. What will funerals look like in this setting? Is there a need to develop something ‘contemporary and significant’ to enable people to say goodbye or will there be a need, in fact a desire and expectation, to have a more traditional approach? I certainly feel there could be a need for personal involvement in the ritual rather than a sit back and watch consumerist default. I find myself asking, however, what this may look like?

Certainly the two major funerals this country has experienced over the last decade or so, those of Diana and The Queen Mother, seem to imply there is a ‘both and’ need here. With Diana we saw a national contemporary response with thousands of bunches of flowers. With the Queen Mum there was the more traditional walk around the coffin. Interestingly people of all ages did both, and the likelihood is many of the same people attended both events and marked both in these significantly different ways. But I guess both involved doing something.

Maybe then, the important thing is to remain open to peoples needs and desires which could include mixes of both the contemporary and traditional … or maybe even something else.

Anyone ‘out there’ got any experience or ideas?