A look back at the Summer 2019 funerals conference
The Bishop of Portsmouth, the Rt Revd Christopher Foster, opened the conference in prayer for God’s blessing on us all as we walk with people who have lost someone they knew and loved. Bishop Christopher was warmly welcomed by Revd Canon Dr Sandra Millar, Head of Life Events, who challenged conference delegates to think about how we can continue to be relevant and meet the needs of people who are grieving, in a space where commercial forces are stronger than ever and death is ever-present in the media. Over the two days we heard from ministers who supported people through almost unthinkable situations; the Soham murders, how the murder of a local teacher affected that It wasn’t by coincidence that the conference was held on site with the National Funeral Exhibition (NFE), the biannual trade show for the funeral industry. Conference delegates had passes into the NFE and were able to see an extraordinary range of services and products – everything from a living coffin, made from willow that grows up from the burial plot, to a Trotters Trading Co hearse. There were lots of questions and observations from a very engaged group of delegates. We were all keen to explore how the Church of England can make the message of hope and God’s love heard in every community, amidst an increasing presence of conversation and debate about death, dying and bereavement across the national media. To have a more detailed insight into this conference, follow this link to listen to audio files of some of the talks, read transcripts, view powerpoint slides and more. |