Funerals

A funeral is used to mark the end of a person's life here on earth. Family and friends come together to express grief, give thanks for the life lived and commend the person into God's keeping. A funeral can be a small, quiet ceremony or a large occasion in a packed church or a ceremony in the local crematorium

Everyone is entitled to either a burial service (funeral) or to have their ashes buried in their local parish churchyard by their local parish priest regardless of whether they attended church or not.

The churchyard at Gosberton was closed to new burials in about 1900. All burials for this parish now take place in the cemetery in Wargate Way.

There are fees involved and you should firstly contact a funeral director who will make an appointment for you to visit him to arrange the funeral. Funeral directors will have a list of fees that the Church, crematorium and cemetary charge. Some people find planning the funeral with family and friends helps in their grieving. Perhaps you already know something of what your loved one wanted or you may even have planned the service together some time ago. The funeral director will ask you about this and help you plan the funeral. The funeral director will usually pass details of the date and time on to a local minister, who will then contact you to discuss the service. 

The priest who will lead the service can help you choose suitable readings, hymns or prayers if you do not have particular ones in mind. This will be discussed at a meeting with you, usually in your home. He will want to discuss the details and also to build up a picture of the person's life, this may take only one meeting but sometimes it can be more.

Click on the following link to go to the part of the Church of England website that details what happens in the actual funeral service: https://www.churchofengland.org/life-events/funerals