<p class="p1">The national Church of England website <a href="http://www.churchofengland.org"><span class="s1">www.churchofengland.org</span></a> has incorporated more than 60 new pages of content from the Life Events team on funerals and bereavement.</p> <p class="p1">It's a significant refresh
<p class="p1">The culture around funerals has changed significantly in the past couple of decades. We have seen the emergence of funeral celebrants, seen funeral directors develop their role extensively, and funerals themselves have become more and more personal, with a shift to celebration rather
The Revd Canon Thomas Woodhouse has supported Church of England Life Events with consultancy through its Funerals Working Group for a number of years, and has particular experience around grief in communities. Part of his 20 years as a parish priest was spent at (Royal) Wootton Bassett
Stillbirth and infant death can still stop even the toughest of us in our tracks. The death of a baby is an awful event, and we?re afraid of saying the wrong thing and making it worse. This time of lockdown and collective anxiety/trauma can make it more challenging, both emotionally and practicall
<p class="p1">We are offering these out of the work of a three-year project on trauma and tragedy in Christian congregations.</p> <p class="p1">First thought: context is everything. You will know better than anyone else how your particular community is likely to react.</p> <p class="p1">Second: th
The following article was available as part of the materials at the Circles of Impact conference in 2019.Â
While on a recent holiday to the Isle of Wight, our family visited the most delightful tearoom one could imagine. It's thatched roof and pink exterior simply oozed chocolate-box country charm, and lured us in with minds set on a full-works English cream tea. Since it was a very hot day, we were
At the beginning of June, over 120 clergy and lay leaders were joined by people working to support the bereaved at 'Circles of Impact: funerals, bereavement and the community'. The Bishop of Portsmouth, the Rt Revd Christopher Foster, opened the conference in prayer for God?s blessing on us
Films books, television, magazines, YouTube; suddenly the media is alert to the fact that death changes the living. When someone we care about dies, then our lives change - and the impact of bereavement is like ripples in a pond. Tragic or untimely death will often make obvious and huge ripples,
Officers in the Diocese of Oxford have developed resources for churches to support them in encouraging conversations about living in the face of mortality. Although it is developed in the diocese, much of the information and resources will be of interest to any church wanting join in the emerging co
