A pastor in the PSD sent me a link for a panel of experts discussing challenges and changes for funerals in the age of the COVID-19. The leader of this panel is Dr. Kenneth Doka, a graduate of Concordia Seminary, St Louis, 1973. Dr Doka is an international and national leader in the Hospice Movement. He is joined by two nationally well-known funeral directors who operate many funeral homes on the east coast.
This panel was convened for pastors, grief counselors, funeral home directors, and others involved in helping families in this time of uncertainty. As you listen to it, you might want to take notes and identify issues that come to your mind. If you are a pastor, you might want to contact funeral directors in your own area to discuss what changes have been made in funeral practices recently. Among these changes might be numbers of family members allowed to attend the funeral and interment, ability to record or live streaming of services, postponing memorial services, availability of grief counselors, etc.
This might be a good topic for pastors to discuss in the circuits. Here is the link for Making Funerals Meaningful: https://hospicefoundation.org/Education/Making-Funerals-Meaningful-in-the-Age-of-COVID-19.
To read more about Dr. Doka’s prolific writing career in grief, death and dying, bereavement, and thanatology, see the following link: http://www.drkendoka.com
One Minute is written by Rev. Ron Rehrer, Counselor for Church Workers of the PSD. Phone 949.433.5182; email ron@ronrehrer.com