A Christian burial service program, also called a funeral program, is a significant item that is distributed to the attendees of a funeral or memorial service.
It’s usually handed out to attendees as they arrive or placed on seats before the service.
It is a small brochure that holds valuable information about the life of a person who has passed away, such as the timings for their funeral and burial, an obituary, the names of those who were involved in planning the funeral, prayers, and the names of surviving family members.
While creating a funeral program isn’t always necessary, there are several reasons you should consider preparing one for your loved one’s funeral.
Why is a Christian burial service program important?
In religious funerals, like Christian funerals, a funeral program can act as a set of instructions that help attendees navigate the funeral comfortably. The program will detail the order of services, highlight the person who will be giving the obituary, and include hymns and lyrics of songs.
Aside from acting as a guide for attendees, the funeral program will also be a valuable memento for the loved ones of the deceased to take home with them. The program can include important milestones in your loved one’s life and what they were like as a person.
Even though funeral programs aren’t mandatory, they can immortalize your loved one and become a keepsake for their close friends and family to remember them by.
How do you create a funeral program?
If you’re not familiar with how to create a funeral program, your church or the funeral home of your choosing can help you design it. During this time, you or members of your family will need to work closely with the church or funeral home.
To do so, here’s a look at what you need to include in the program:
1. Insert a cover photo
Having a photo of your loved one on the front cover of the program will make it more meaningful.
Make sure to choose a high-resolution picture of your loved one. Also, the picture should be one showing your loved one in good spirits and make you and your family happy and nostalgic when you look at it.
The cover photo should also have a background. This can be a place that was very important to your loved one, flowers, religious symbols, or a colorful pattern. Also, the background you choose shouldn’t be too complicated, so as to not distract from the cover image of your loved one.
2. Write an obituary
The obituary you write for the funeral program will be longer and more detailed than the one you publish in a newspaper.
The obituary should include the full name of your loved one, the date of birth and the date of death, the cause of death—you may choose to skip this part if you’re not comfortable including it—and your loved one’s career.
Other details of your loved one’s life that you can include in the obituary are details about their childhood, their character, the role they played in their community, and their hobbies.
Even if you’re not an experienced writer, don’t worry—all that matters is that you put your heart into writing your loved one’s obituary.
3. Create a funeral order of service
The order of service will be different for every funeral, depending on the funeral services you and your family choose and the preferences of your loved one who has passed away.
List down the order of every aspect of the funeral service, including the names of everyone involved and contact numbers. For consistency, use the same font you used for the obituary for the order of service.
4. Include scriptures
Scriptures are a powerful way to express emotion. In the funeral program, add your loved one’s favorite verses from the bible.
You can even add poems or song lyrics that your loved one enjoyed. Also, try adding some images to accompany the religious verses.
5. Add a photo collage
Include a photo collage featuring your loved one. The photos can show happy and heartwarming moments from your loved one’s life, like birthdays, high school or college graduation, and pictures they took with their close family and friends.
Additionally, you can add captions to each photo, detailing where and when the photo was taken, or why it was a special moment for your loved one.
You don’t have to create a Christian burial service program alone
It can be difficult to create a funeral program after losing a loved one. The feeling of grief and the stress of planning the funeral can make it a challenge to focus on making the ideal funeral program.
Fortunately, you can work with a funeral home that offers professional funeral services to help you. The funeral home you choose can work with you to create a meaningful funeral program that will preserve the memory of your loved one.
