Funerals at The Gathering

The Gathering is here to offer care and support before, during, and after the loss of someone you love.

Funerals and memorial services provided by The Gathering will center around our belief in the risen Christ and that Christ is our hope for eternal life. We will offer this hope to those who mourn the loss of a loved one.

To begin planning a funeral or memorial service,

PLEASE CONTACT ONE OF OUR SITE PASTORS AT (314) 252-8134 

FOR THE ON-CALL PASTOR OR BY EMAIL:

McCausland Site Pastor Tim Ziegler
tim.ziegler@gatheringnow.org
McCausland Site Associate Pastor Brittany Radford
Brittany.radford@gatheringnow.org
Clayton Site Pastor Sarah Rugenstone
sarah.rugenstone@gatheringnow.org
Webster Site Pastor Adam Baker
adam.baker@gatheringnow.org

When Death is Imminent Or a Loved One Has Passed

When a death is imminent, our pastors will welcome the opportunity to come and pray with you. Please call our on-call Pastor (314) 252-8134 to alert our staff, and we will make every effort for a pastor to come to you. If one of our pastors is unavailable, one of our trained Care Ministers will reach out to you.

Scheduling a Funeral or Memorial Service

If you wish for one of our pastors to conduct the service for your loved one, and/or you wish for the service to be conducted in one of our sanctuaries, please reach out to a pastor at the earliest opportunity to ensure availability. If you are working with a funeral home, please provide the funeral director with our office contact information, (314) 968-5189, so that we can coordinate services.

Services can be held at our McCausland, Clayton, and Webster sites. Occupancy is as follows:

McCausland Sanctuary: 550
Clayton Sanctuary: 150
Webster Sanctuary: 250

McCausland Multi-Purpose Room: 100
Clayton Gathering Hall: 65
Webster Chapel: 40

**All of our Sites are ADA accessible**

Type of Service

There are several types of services to consider:

There are several types of services to consider:
● A traditional funeral service with the casket present
● A memorial service (no casket present)
● A graveside service
● Or, a combination of the above

In addition to the service, we can also conduct a visitation (either the night before the service or immediately before the service) and/or a reception (in the multipurpose room or lobby at McCausland, the lower Gathering Hall at Clayton, or in the chapel at Webster) if there are no scheduling conflicts.

Please note that The Gathering does not make arrangements for catering, decorating, or other related services -- those arrangements are the responsibility of the family. Any and all food are the responsibility of the family (though our volunteers will gladly serve them). Coffee and lemonade services may be requested.

planning the service

Please let us know if a funeral director is involved in your loved one’s service, as we will coordinate with them to ensure all logistics are taken care of.

If there is not a funeral director involved in your loved one’s service, we will handle the logistics of the service, including contacting musicians, a/v techs, and custodial services.

Once the date, time, location, and type of service has been determined, a pastor will assist you in planning the service. This may involve phone calls or meetings with relevant family members to gather information and learn about your loved one.

It would be helpful to know any favorite scriptures or songs when planning the service, as well as if any family member or friend would like to speak at the service.

It will also be helpful for us to know how many people you expect to attend, how you would like to handle a processional/recessional and seating of the family, and whether you will be collecting donations on behalf of your loved one.

Music
Music can be a significant part of your loved one’s service, and The Gathering is happy to offer both traditional and contemporary options. Consult with your pastor to determine appropriate music for the service. The standard music we provide will include the following:

● Prelude: a musician will play for 20 minutes prior to the service (piano or guitar); this will include requested music or the musician’s choice
● Processional: a musician will play as the family enters the sanctuary and is seated
● Solos and Congregational Singing: a musician will play a solo or lead the congregation in one or more songs interspersed throughout the service
● Recessional: a musician will play as guests depart the sanctuary (recorded music can also be used here)
● If you are interested in incorporating additional musicians, specific instruments, a favorite arrangement, etc., we can connect you with the appropriate musician(s) though additional fees may apply (which would be the responsibility of the family).
Scripture
Scripture is an important part of the service, and the pastor will read from both the Old and New Testaments. Please let the pastor know if your loved one had a favorite scripture, so that it can be incorporated into the service, where appropriate. Some commonly used scriptures include:

- Psalm 16:9,11 - Therefore my heart is glad...
- Psalm 23 - The Lord is my shepherd...
- Psalm 130 - Out of the depths I cry to the Lord
- Isaiah 40:28-31 - Do you not know?
- Ecclesiastes 3:1-15 - There is a time for everything...
- Matthew 5:1-12 - The Beatitudes
- Matthew 18:3-4, 10, 14 - I tell you the truth...
- Matthew 19:14 - Let the little children come to me...
- Matthew 25:31-46 - When the Son of Man comes in his glory...
- John 3:16 - God so loved the world...
- John 11:25 - I am the resurrection and the life...
- John 14:1-4, 18-19, 25-27 - Do not let your hearts be troubled...
- Romans 8:31-32, 35-39 - If God is for us...
- 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 - If I speak in the tongues...
- 1 Corinthians 15:51-57 - Listen, I tell you a mystery...
- Revelation 21:1-5 - Then I saw a new heaven...

Memorials
If you are interested in directing guests to make a gift in memory of your loved one, please reach out to our Director of Operations, Dave Dietrich, at dave.dietrich@gatheringnow.org or call (314) 968-5189.
Program
We are happy to provide a program for your loved one’s service. Please send to your pastor a high quality image for the cover. The pastor will send you a draft of the program for your review, and we request that the details be finalized no later than 48 hours prior to the service to allow for production time.
Photo Collages, Slideshows, Recording of the Service, etc.
Please let us know if you have a special photo or photo collage(s) of your loved one that you would like to display in the sanctuary or lobby during the service. We have several large tripods that you are welcome to utilize for this purpose.

If you would like to play a slideshow or other video on our sanctuary screen(s) either before/after or during the service, we will connect you with our audio-visual team to ensure that we can accommodate.

A link of the service will be provided to you following the completion of the service.
Fees
There is no fee for your loved one’s service at The Gathering, unless you choose to utilize additional services beyond what we have detailed above.

We are often asked for suggested honorariums for the officiant and other individuals who assist in the service, and we provide these only as a guideline for your consideration: Officiant - $300, Co-Officiant* - $200, Musicians - $150, A/V Tech - $100. Again, these are not required fees.

Thank you for allowing The Gathering to walk alongside you as you prepare to honor your loved one.

*If needed, a co-officiant (aka another pastor) will be onsite to assist you and your loved ones in the planning, celebration of life, and also will assist in providing follow-up care.