Memorial Services

Preparing and planning for a memorial service can be difficult and overwhelming. PCPC longs to minister to your family during your time of loss. PCPC conducts memorial services for members and their families.

Please contact our Wilma Morgan in our Pastoral Care office for assistance at wilma.morgan@pcpc.org or 214-224-2742.

Memorial Service Live Video Stream

For those memorial services that are streamed live, you can see them here.

Why Memorial Services are Essential to Our Spiritual Journey

REALITY
“Jesus wept.” (John 11.35) When a loved one passes away, we must confront a tough truth. It is truly challenging to come to grips with the irreversible nature of death, but the memorial service allows us to make our first steps toward acceptance. We might comprehend the reality of our loss in our heads. With time and effort, we come to accept with our hearts. “Then Jesus, again distressed, came to the tomb.” (John 11.38)

REMEMBER
Memorial services help us transition from one of physical presence to memory. When we gather to remember, we learn more about the person who died, and often love them even more. We express our gratitude for the way they touched others. “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints.” (Psalm 116:15)

SUPPORT
Memorial services bring together the people who cared about the person who died. When that person was alive, he or she may have said, “I don’t want a memorial service. Don’t go to any trouble.” While the memorial service is about the one who died, they are for the living. Anyone who loved the person who died needs and will benefit from a ritual of remembrance and worship, and from the nurturing gathering of community. “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10)

EXPRESSION
Grief is the term we use to describe the thoughts and feelings that fill our minds and hearts when someone we love dies. Grief is what is inside us. When we express our grief - by crying, talking to others, sharing memories, taking part in a memorial ceremony - we are mourning. Mourning is grief expressed outwardly. When we grieve but do not mourn, our sadness feels heavy, and many other emotions simmer within us. Mourning is the first step to healing. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4)

MEANING
Did the beloved person live life well, battle struggles, or endure with perseverance? Do we really recognize how fast time goes? What meaning does the Lord have for us in the death of the one we love? There are no simple answers, but the memorial service allows a safe time and place to worship our Sovereign Lord among His inscrutable providences. And to celebrate the life of the person who died. “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!” (Revelation 14:13)

TRANSCENDENCE
When we are faced with the death of someone we love, we take a hard look at what we care about and how we want to spend the time we have left. By their nature, memorial services force us to confront the deep and difficult realities of life and death. Even in our culture of avoiding such conversations, we can’t help but talk about the reality of life. Memorial services place us mysteriously between the church on earth and the Church Triumphant, helping us consider our values and assumptions about life! “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in Me will live, even though they die, and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die.” (John 11:25-26)