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Please contact Deborah Hart, Minister of Pastoral Care & Outreach for more information. You may reach her by phone at 416-481-1141 ext. 320 or email deborah.hart@esgunited.org.
Deborah Hart leads a Grief Group with the goal of helping people move forward on their life journeys. This generally starts in January and takes place during one evening and runs for 4 weeks. Call the church office for the start date at 416-481-1141 ext. 210.
Funeral and Memorial Service Information
Pre-planning
You may speak with any one of the ministers at any time if you are interested in talking about a service for yourself or a loved one.This web site will also be of help with some pre-planning.
Minister
One of Eglinton St. George’s ministers, often the Minister of Pastoral Care, the Rev. Dr. Deborah Hart, officiates at funerals or memorials, but you are free to ask any of our two ministers to officiate. If you would like a guest minister to assist in the service, please make this request to the Eglinton St. George’s minister you have chosen for the service.
Interview
The minister will want to meet with members of the family or close friends to plan the service and gain details about the person’s life story.This meeting may take place at the church, in a family member’s home or on occasion, at the funeral home that is handling arrangements.
The Service
The service may be a funeral (which means a casket containing the person’s body is present) or a memorial service (with or without an urn with the ashes present).
A brief service of committal may also take place at the time of interment of the body or ashes at a cemetery or crematorium.
The minister will outline the service with those gathered to do the planning. It normally includes scripture readings, a short meditation, prayers, a time of remembrance about the person’s life, and often hymns. Family members or appropriate others may be asked to share remembrances or read scripture. An order of service bulletin will be prepared if desired. Greeters may be members of the church or family and friends.The funeral home will discuss pallbearers with you if there is a casket present.
Music
Our Director of Music will play for the service, if available, and is open to finding appropriate hymns, music, soloists or instrumentalists to fit the occasion. If you would like a friend or relative to add their musical talent to the service, please feel free to discuss this our Director of Music. For further information, please call the church office at 416-481-1141.
The Setting
The service may be held in the sanctuary (comfortable for groups of 75 to 500), in the Eglinton Room (capacity of 40-60), at the funeral home chapel or graveside. Flowers, candles, a guest book, pictures and memorabilia are welcomed. Memorial cards for donations to be made to the church in the deceased’s memory are also available. Arrangements for donations to other charities or organizations should be made through the funeral home or the organization itself.
Accessibility
Eglinton St. George’s is equipped with a semi-circular drop-off driveway, a gently sloped sidewalk, wheelchair-accessible doors and an elevator. We also have assistive hearing devices. If there will be people in attendance with sight problems, a large-print bulletin can be made with advance notice.
Reception
We are pleased to have receptions in our church following the service. Although we do not have people to prepare food on-site, our funeral reception coordinator will work with you to find appropriate caterers and resources. The serving of wine is allowed if a permit is obtained. We are glad to provide servers, unless you have family or friends who would like to help.
Honoraria
For our members and adherents, funerals or memorial services are considered part of pastoral care. There is no fee for use of the church building or the minister’s services. (Your contributions throughout the year already support the upkeep of the building and ministerial care.) There will be an honorarium requested for the sexton and director of music, as well as sound booth operator, soloist, or instrumentalist as required/requested. These may be paid on your behalf by the funeral home or the family may choose to look after these personally.
If you are not a regularly contributing member or adherent, you may wish to make a contribution for the use of the church and for the minister’s services. The funeral home staff or our Administrator, Debbie Bozzi, will be glad to give you guidelines.You may reach Debbie by phone at 416-481-1141 ext. 220 or email debbie.bozzi@esgunited.org.
After Care
The minister will be in touch with you in the weeks and months that follow the service as you live through your grief. During the year you will be notified of a 4-week grief group program and special services of remembrance that you are encouraged to attend. For information call the Welcome Desk @ 416.481.1141.
Our church library contains a section on grief to also help you through the grieving process.
Last updated: January 17, 2012
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35 Lytton Blvd. Toronto. Ontario. M4R 1L2 - t. 416.481.1141
