End of Life Planning: Practical Wisdom and Guidance for the Journey
First Congregational Church offered a series on “End of Life Planning: Practical Wisdom and Guidance for the Journey” during 2021. Presenters included clergy, a local funeral home, a church leader and other professionals involved in this work. These presentations were offered in person in the sanctuary as well as on Facebook Live.
May 16th: Advance Directives presented by Julie Griffin, Advance Care Planning Coordinator for Spectrum Health Lakeland
SPEAK FOR YOURSELF, PLAN YOUR CARE – A GIFT TO YOUR LOVED ONES. Who will speak for you? Anyone, at any age, can have a medical crisis that might leave us too ill to speak. If you’re over 18, it’s important to name someone you trust to speak for you in an emergency, to get that plan in writing and to share it with your family and your healthcare providers.
For more information, go to https://bit.ly/3vlhZ7S. On Sunday, May 16th, Julie Griffin, Advance Care Planning Coordinator for Spectrum Health Lakeland presented a group conversation about Advance Care Planning, answer questions, and provide tools to get your directives in place. A gift to your loved ones, you won’t want to miss this opportunity to make sure your wishes are known.
https://www.facebook.com/UCCSouthHaven/videos/358021522362039
May 23rd: A Christian Theology on Death and Dying. The Rev. David Moffett- Moore, retired UCC Pastor.
When we think about death and dying, the Christian tradition invites us to appraise seriously what matters most to us.
On May 23rd, Rev. David Moffett-Moore spoke about how we proceed on this journey to the end of life from a faith perspective.
David recently served as the Interim Pastor at Zion UCC in Baroda and before that was the Sr. pastor at Portage UCC in Portage, MI, He is a member of the Academy of Parish Clergy and has written a number of books, including, Life as Pilgrimage: A View from Celtic Spirituality and Pathways to Prayer.
https://www.facebook.com/UCCSouthHaven/videos/972512563577697
June 13th: Funeral perspectives. This session (unlike the others) will begin at 10:45
Jeff Filbrandt, Director of the Filbrandt Family Funeral Home and Rev. Jeffrey Dick, pastor
Two sessions were included: The first was on what you need to know in going to a funeral home to plan a service. This included the advantage of pre planning a service. Jeff Filbrandt is the Owner and Director of the Filbrandt Family Funeral Home here in South Haven and will share some general guidelines.
This was followed by Rev. Dick sharing what information is helpful to have ahead of time in planning a funeral or memorial service at the church. A form was given that people can use to give to the church for pre-planning purposes.
https://www.facebook.com/UCCSouthHaven/videos/1104351250061711/
Sept 19th Wills Andrew Barnes, Attorney here in South Haven.
Andrew Barnes, a local attorney, presented a seminar on wills. This was an information session on why everyone should have a will and what information you need to create one.
https://www.facebook.com/UCCSouthHaven/videos/4800383020025645
Oct date TBD Planned Giving to your church
Doug Gruber, a member of the church’s Generosity team presented the following topics:
Learn about the many financial methods available for gifting to the church after death.
You may be surprised how many options exist.
Learn about contacts who can help set-up your planned giving.
Learn that “undesignated” gifting is actually the most helpful to the church.
Advance the Facebook presentation to 1:28 for this presentation
https://www.facebook.com/UCCSouthHaven/videos/1003578546883670
