Over 2000 years ago Martha and Mary served others in their homes. In fact, the most honored guest ever was Jesus. He had dinner there more than once.
Their story teaches that having people in your home (Spiritual Life Center – SLC) is not about entertaining, it’s about the people! Service and Serving People are what we do, welcoming others in love and by our actions!
In our ministry group we provide a reception, food and time for the family and friends of the departed. Join us as we bring hope and encouragement to many in a time of grief.
We would like to provide you with some information about what we do as a group. To begin, we are provided a list of the types of food and prepare it for the gathering (reception) after the funeral. Most times, the gathering becomes a Family Reunion for those that attend the Funeral. Guests are not rushed during the time spent visiting with friends and family. Our Christian Faith is on display to Care for the grieving and showing support with invitation to eat and gather.
Men and women are members of our Ministry group. We do not meet routinely, but we have a list of members that are notified by email for assistance when help is needed at a Funeral reception. Members meet the morning of the reception in the Spiritual Life Center to help prepare the food, set up the SLC, serve the food, clean up after and support the visitors throughout the reception. In the meantime, after serving has started, members are cleaning up the used items and emptied serving trays. Then when all the family and friends have left the SLC, we clean up the dining area. Depending on the proposed number of guests the family will give that may attend the funeral, will depend on the number of Ministry members that are needed for the reception day. Most funerals start at 11 am or 1pm. We usually start setting up 1 to 2 hours prior to the funeral start. For example, for an 11 am funeral (12 noon reception), we start around 10 am and this depends on the type of food that is requested to be served. This gives us time to prepare, set up and attend the funeral, if you choose to go to the funeral Mass.
If you can help at any of the receptions, it is much appreciated. It is a general understanding to assist at as many receptions that you can. So, do not feel bad if you need to decline one or a few in a row! There will be more receptions to consider. We would love to have you join us in this important ministry!