Photos, sound recordings, slides and transcripts are given here to offer an insight into the 2019 funerals conference, which explored how death and bereavement impacts on communities.
Death touches communities – family groups, friendship groups, colleagues, neighbours and strangers. The impact is not just for a week or two, but may continue over months, years, generations. This “fascinating and moving” conference drew on the expertise and experience of a wide-range of practitioners to help us think about how churches are there for those who are affected by a death, from the funeral, long into the future.
Here we offer some insights into the two days we spent together.
The Revd Canon Sandra Millar, Head of Life Events, opened the conference. Read her welcome here (downloads a Word file): Introduction text.
Life Events Resources Manager, Cathy Myers, gives a conference overview just here.
Use the links below to access conference talks, presentations slides, transcripts and more to download.
Reflections on grief and bereavement in the Bible, by Paula Gooder (provided in the conference folder).
FRIDAY 7TH JUNE
Talk 3 “Death and Schools” Ben Green – this talk will be published soon.
Talk 4 “Changing a town” Thomas Woodhouse (transcript only)
Talk 5 “Famous deaths, personal grief” Patrick Taylor
Listen to the audio of this talk:-
See transcript of this talk:-
Patrick Taylor Famous Deaths Personal Grief
SATURDAY 8TH JUNE
Talk 2 “Death in the community” Josie Goodwin
See Josie’s PowerPoint slides by following this link (the slides will download to your device): Circles of Impact
Download Josie’s speaking notes by following this link: Talk Circles of Impact
Talk 3 “Graveyards and the rural church” Mark Betson
See Powerpoint slides (in PDF format)
Listen to the audio of this talk:-
See transcript of this talk:-
Mark Betson Graveyards and the rural church
Talk 4 “What if they can’t pay? Pauper’s funerals” Juliet Stephenson
Download Juliet’s PowerPoint slides by following this link: Public health funerals NFE
Talk 5 “Bereavement and church” Jeremy Brooks
See Powerpoint slides (in PDF format)
Listen to the audio of this talk:-
See transcript of this talk:-
Jeremy Brookes Bereavement and church
Here’s a gallery of images we took over the two days:- View here