If you have just experienced the death of a loved one and are now faced with the responsibility of planning a funeral, we are here to serve you.

The death of someone you care for, coupled with wanting to make the right decisions and a limited amount of time to attend to all the details, leaves many families simply feeling overwhelmed. Whether you want something elaborate or something simple, Southland Community Church can help you make informed decisions and help create arrangements that are meaningful to your family. Our goal is to make a difficult time easier. We honor the memory of the deceased to celebrate the life they led and to acknowledge the way in which they touched our lives. The service should be both unique and very personal. The following things are what the officiating pastor and/or Director of Administration will review with you:

Officiating Pastor

Our goal at Southland Community Church is to help you plan and create a meaningful funeral service for your loved one. If the officiating pastor is not a Southland pastor, the facility booking needs to be approved by a Southland pastor before it can be confirmed.

Booking a Funeral Service at Southland

Before you contact Southland to book the facilities, please consider the estimated attendance at the service. The following rooms are available for the funeral.

• The Auditorium seats up to 750 people
• The Chapel seats up to 300 people
• The Reception Hall seats from 50 to 300 at tables depending on the size of room that is needed.  This room can be used for the funeral service or for the reception following the service.
• The kitchen is fully equipped.
• A Prayer Room will be provided as a waiting room for family until the service begins.
• It would be best to inform people of the date, time, and location of the funeral only after it has been booked with the Director of Administration.

If the loved one is not part of the Southland Family, feel free to contact us as to rental costs for the facilities.  The Reception details such as purchase of food, preparation, serving, and clean-up is the responsibility of the person renting the facility. For facility availability and rental fees, please contact the Director of Administration, Eunice McAllister at 326-9020 ext 222.

Service

When planning the funeral service, there are many details to consider. It is our privilege to help you with these details:

• A Southland Pastor would be glad to help with the planning and to officiate the service. 
• A Southland Pastor will go over a special program with you to help design one that is suited for you and your family.
• We are available to provide musicians for the service (pianist, vocalist) and help you in your choice of music.  Some things to consider are whether you would like to have congregational songs sung at the service, special songs sung by a vocalist or group, instrumental songs played, etc. You are also welcome to provide your own musicians or CDs for the service.
• Ushers can be provided for the Funeral service, upon request.
• Decide if there will be an obituary and eulogy at the service that can be given by a family member or a special friend.  You may also want to include the eulogy in a printed program.
• Consider having Scripture or a special poem read by someone close to your loved one. The words could also be printed in the program.
• Consider putting together a special PowerPoint presentation commemorating the life of your loved one.  Our visual technician will be glad to show this during the service. A small fee will apply.
• A sound technician will be provided for the service.
• Consider a memory table of photographs and keepsakes illustrating the person's life, along with a guest book. A table can be set up in the lobby for this special tribute.

Reception

If you would like to have a reception following the service, Southland is available upon request to provide assistance in ordering the food and serving this for you.  A light lunch is recommended for you, your family and the funeral guests and we can help discuss these details with you.

If you have further questions about your funeral needs please feel free to contact Pastor Tim Ryan at 326-9020 ext 228 or email. Consultation on pre-planning your funeral service is also welcomed.