TLC Funeral Arrangements - TLC Memorial
A place of peace and reflection, honoring and remembering those close to our hearts.
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If you are reading this guide from Transfiguration Lutheran Church (TLC), it is possible that you feel sad, lost, confused, stunned, or possibly even angered and overwhelmed by the loss of a loved one. Perhaps there were times in the past where you were able to comfort someone who suffered a loss. Now you're not truly sure what you need to do, or where you can turn to find comfort, love and a caring heart to help bear the pain and grief you feel.
Staff and volunteers at TLC are committed to helping and guiding you through your time of loss. Our pastors will help in planning the funeral for your loved one; meeting with the family of the deceased, consoling and planning the funeral liturgy.
The TLC Funeral Coordinator will meet with you and the family, taking care of the many details in the funeral service at TLC, such as hymns, organist, pianist, soloists and musicians. The coordinator will help plan and organize the visitation that typically takes place at TLC an hour before the funeral service. In the TLC Narthex there can be displays of photos, videos and other memorabilia of the loved one. The coordinator will provide guidance and assistance in setting up those displays. Also, if there is a social gathering after the service in TLC’s Fellowship Hall, the Funeral Coordinator works with the family in arranging a catered luncheon or simple refreshments presented by the TLC Funeral Luncheon Team.
TLC Care Ministry will meet with you and the family, then prepare a lovely bulletin for the service. Photographs of the loved one are requested and included within the bulletin.
All TLC services in the church sanctuary come with private or public live-stream coverage available on our YouTube channel. For those unable to attend the service, the live-stream and on-demand playback offers a way to “be there” for those they love. Within 48 hours after the service, all elements (bulletin, photo memorial video, live-stream archive, photographs, etc.) are presented on a permanent individualized webpage for the deceased on TLC’s Memorial Garden website. We are there for you and yours. Please call us at (952) 884-2364 or email: office@tlcmn.com
Losing A Loved One
After a loved one passes, the first thing we suggest doing is contacting a funeral home. The funeral home typically takes the deceased into their care and begins preparation for a wake and funeral. If you’re the next of kin, then you’ll have decisions to make.
Funeral– Funerals enable the family and friends to give thanks for the life of the deceased, while witnessing and commending the loved one to the care of God. Reassurance is offered in the mutual comfort we share as people of faith; and to bear witness to God in Jesus Christ who has destroyed death and is our source of forgiveness, life, and salvation.
Wake/Visitation/Viewing – Before a funeral, family and friends typically gather to pay their respects to the deceased. A wake is usually held the evening before the funeral at the funeral home with the body of the deceased present. However, some families may choose to not have the body present and instead have cremated remains of their loved one, depending on the services requested.
Visitation and viewing often takes place at Transfiguration Lutheran Church (TLC) the day of the funeral service. If there is an open casket, it is presented within the intimacy of the TLC Chapel, as is a closed casket or urn. When the funeral service is to begin, the casket is closed and processed (as is the urn) with the family to the TLC Sanctuary.
Pallbearers – These are immediate family, relatives, and friends who carry the casket. If the family doesn't request that specific pallbearers be present, the funeral home staff may be able to accommodate this responsibility.
Although the funeral procession can be a sad event for many, being involved as a pallbearer is an act of honor. Doing so should be received and handled with respect for the family and the deceased.
The Eulogy or Remembrance – Another honorary appointment is in giving a eulogy. There is no right or wrong way to deliver a eulogy or remembrance. It is meant to help celebrate the life and achievements of the deceased with somber, respectful tones, or humorous anecdotes, or both.
The Funeral: Celebration of Life or Memorial Service – The service is done in accordance with the religious beliefs of the family.
A private or public funeral, often called a “Celebration of Life” can be held at TLC, at home or at the funeral home. The deceased’s body or cremains is present in either a casket or urn. A private service is attended only by those invited – usually family members and close friends. A public service has no restrictions as to who may attend. In both circumstances, there typically is a gathering before (visitation) in TLC’s Narthex, and after the service in TLC’s Fellowship Hall for socializing, often with beverages, snacks, or a catered meal.
A memorial service can be held at a place of worship, funeral home, private home, or any place that may have been of particular interest by the deceased (a park, golf clubhouse, etc.). The memorial service is usually held after the interment of the body.
Love Lives On
Those we love are never really lost to us - we feel them in so many special ways-
through friends they always cared about and dreams they left behind, in beauty that they added to our days... in words of wisdom we still carry with us and memories that never will be gone... Those we love are never really lost to us - For everywhere their special love lives on.
A. Bradley