The Season of Remembering, from All Souls’ to Remembrance Day, has an added poignancy since the Pandemic, and there is special need in our communities to pause, reflect and remember. There is increasing recognition of the need to process our losses to prevent negative outcomes later on down the line (such as job loss, relationship breakdown, mental ill health).
An All Souls’ Day service will be on or near 2nd November and will remember those who have died at any time and in any way; a Remembrance Service around 11th November will be specifically about people who have died in the world wars or armed service; a ‘Thanksgiving and Remembering’ service, or special remembering activity, can be held with any focus and at any time. Loss is often compounded and any specific service or activity will remind people of unresolved past or present loss and pain. There is often a need to ‘do’ something and to ‘mark’ a loss to help to bring closure and healing.
Below you will find a video of the Remembrance Sunday 2022 edition of Premier Christian Radio’s Sunday Night Live programme, with Pam Rhodes. It’s an excellent programme, and at 45 minutes, you will find a section with At a Loss CEO Yvonne Richmond Tulloch speaking about how churches can play a compassionate role in supporting those who are bereaved.
Churches Together in Britain and Ireland has good resources for Remembrance Sunday:
REMEMBRANCE RESOURCES https://ctbi.org.uk/remembrance-sunday/
Below are some resources which you can use to plan and publicise your activities. They include editable invitations and posters to let people in your community know that you are offering special services or activities to give time and space for reflection for those grieving. Creative ideas and liturgies are also included and give away helpful resources. Do let us know of others that could be shared.
You may like to use the below invitations and posters which are editable to enable you to add details of your service or activity, your church’s logo and website, etc.
Please feel free to use these templates to invite people to any remembering activity or service. If you use the PDF booklets they will need to be sent to a printer. (General instructions will need to be removed.)
Please do alert people to the Ataloss.org website when using these resources either verbally or by including the logo below. AtaLoss.org is a website hub of bereavement information and support services.
The creative ways to remember document has lots of practical ideas on activities such as memory trees, prayer stations, children’s activities and even soul cakes! And the give away resources download has ideas of helpful items for emotional help and spiritual reflection
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