There are always diginified discreet ways to collect charitable contributions. A public offering is NOT the way to do that. While working as a funeral director, sometimes friends of indigent families would set up trusts at local banks to pay for funeral/medical expenses. When these altruistic actions were taken, the funeral homes I worked for were more than willing to offer their services at reduced rates. Thinking that there are indigent monies redily available for burial is bad information. Although some monies might be available in certain areas, its never enough to provide a complete funeral. There are better ways to provide for final expenses.
Several years ago I went to a graveside service for a homeless man. One of the ladies in the church I was going to knew him. She brought some homeless men to church in a van from a local shelter on weekends and on Monday nights. I had been to a local hospice with another member of the Home and Hospital prayer team to pray for him. He was dying from cancer and had some addiction problems.
He had a wooden casket, highly polished cherry color, and was brought to a section of a local cemetery in a hearse. This was a while back but I think this was funded by the county some way. A pastor from the Vineyard was in charge. There was a song by another homeless man who knew him and a couple of comments by the woman and maybe one or two more and then Vineyard pastor did a standard graveside type reading and comments.
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Sam also known as Jim Ellis
Apostolic in doctrine
Pentecostal in experience
Charismatic in practice
Non-denominational in affiliation
Inter-denominational in fellowship
When I was going to the Vineyard I did a couple of funerals (3 of them) plus one since leaving the Vineyard. One was because the pastor of another Vineyard church had to cancel out unexpectedly and the other was because someone had called and requested a funeral and no pastor was available at the time. The third was also because no Vineyard pastor was available when the funeral was scheduled. The funeral home gave me a check (I think it was $100 or $125) for the first one. The second one I had told the family there was no charge, this was a service the Vineyard offered but they insisted I take a check which was for $100. For the third one, it was in a period when the Vineyard was looking for a "funeral pastor" who would do their funerals for them. There would be no charge to the family from the church but the funeral pastor would get $75 per funeral. Since I was not on staff they could not give me a check. I was later asked about taking that job but I was planning on leaving the Vineyard so I could not take it. Later, someone called the Vineyard and requested that I do a funeral for a woman who had died. I had done the funeral for her husband a couple of years previously. Even though I did not go to the Vineyard at the time, the pastor contacted me and I did the funeral. It was at a funeral home and not the church. Again, the funeral home gave me a check. I think it was $100 or $125. It was the same funeral home as where I had done the wife's funeral and I assume they just wrote a check for the person officiating the funeral and included it in their cost to the family.
(plus us black folks tend to be so dramatic in wanting multiple days of mourning i.e. wakes, musicals, eatings at the home and church, more viewings and then the final hooray!) How do I know this? I go to about 75 funerals a year.
That many?
You have that many friends who drop dead??!!
(Wow. Makes me not wanna be your friend!!)
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Daniel 12:3 And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars for ever.
That happens often in my area. They will have posters with giant pictures of the deceased person, they will all have T-Shirts with pics of the deceased, and they will have a car wash or just stand on the side of the road making a ruckus trying to get a hand out. They also set cans with pics of the deceased near cash registers in stores, restaurants, etc. You finally get to a place where you never give to any of them because it happens so much.
Here's a witness from another westcoast member
It's very common here in CA. and it drives me nuts
My father was an alter boy in the catholic church.
He told me that offerings taken at catholic funerals use to be very common.
They were told that they were giving an offering to get them out of pergatory.
The preist would usually set a very high amount.
If you go to poor catholic countries, you will see beggers in the street trying to raise funds to get their loved one out of hell. The preiest tells them this stuff.
I beg to differ. Now while it might not be "federal" money ANYONE can have a funeral and there are funds out there to pay for them. I learned this in school most recently 2007. Read this website: http://www.rlc.org.au/factsheets/cre...lexpenses.html
What Happens If Nobody Can Afford To Pay For A Funeral
If you can't afford to pay for a funeral, don't organise it. If you organise the funeral you will have to pay. The police can organise a funeral for someone who has no-one to pay for their funeral. It will be a very simple and cheap funeral and the person will probably be cremated. If the person died in hospital, the NSW Health Department or the hospital in which they died will pay for a basic funeral. Contact the hospital registrar. Usually mourners will be allowed to attend but they will not be able to have much say in how the funeral is organised. These funerals are called destitute funerals.
As for the statment concerning African American Funerals and the lag time (which was a very general statement) it is safe to say that we hold our bodies out because 9 times out of 10 the family has to make travel arrangements to the city of the funeral. Its almost guarenteed with African Americans, if you die tonight (Sunday) your funeral wont be until Friday or Saturday. Why? Families are spread out from North to South, East to West. For instance with my family, half of us live in the south and the other half live up North in NYC. Its always been like that. You'll find most white people live near their family hence the reason why you die today you get a funeral no later than Wednesday. (plus us black folks tend to be so dramatic in wanting multiple days of mourning i.e. wakes, musicals, eatings at the home and church, more viewings and then the final hooray!) How do I know this? I go to about 75 funerals a year.
LOL!
See, I'm white, and I see the opposite is true in regard to the demographics of family.
In my experience, black folks are most likely to be close to home. They are raised with their cousins and aunties while the white folks see their kin during the Christmas holidays.
See, I'm white, and I see the opposite is true in regard to the demographics of family.
In my experience, black folks are most likely to be close to home. They are raised with their cousins and aunties while the white folks see their kin during the Christmas holidays.
Funny how we see things, huh?
HO, I think that he is pretty much right about the logistics about funerals. The issue is that in my experiences with black funerals, distant extended family members are much more likely to want to come home for funerals. Most often when we have funerals, we have cousins and nephews flying in from California and New York, etc. While it is true that in many black families, a lot of family tends to be close, it is also true that in the Black community, distant and extended family members are very likely to return for family funerals. Funerals are a pretty big deal. Most of my family on my father's side lives in Panama City, Fl, but if even a second cousin died, we would probably all come in from all parts of the country.
In our church, the average funeral attendance for a member or one of their family members would have to be a couple of hundred.
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Either the United States will destroy ignorance, or ignorance will destroy the United States. – W.E.B. DuBois
HO, I think that he is pretty much right about the logistics about funerals. The issue is that in my experiences with black funerals, distant extended family members are much more likely to want to come home for funerals. Most often when we have funerals, we have cousins and nephews flying in from California and New York, etc. While it is true that in many black families, a lot of family tends to be close, it is also true that in the Black community, distant and extended family members are very likely to return for family funerals. Funerals are a pretty big deal. Most of my family on my father's side lives in Panama City, Fl, but if even a second cousin died, we would probably all come in from all parts of the country.
In our church, the average funeral attendance for a member or one of their family members would have to be a couple of hundred.
Right. That's what I was talking about. Black folks are close to even distant family members where white folks typically aren't. I don't even know most of my second cousins! LOL!
HO, I think that he is pretty much right about the logistics about funerals. The issue is that in my experiences with black funerals, distant extended family members are much more likely to want to come home for funerals. Most often when we have funerals, we have cousins and nephews flying in from California and New York, etc. While it is true that in many black families, a lot of family tends to be close, it is also true that in the Black community, distant and extended family members are very likely to return for family funerals. Funerals are a pretty big deal. Most of my family on my father's side lives in Panama City, Fl, but if even a second cousin died, we would probably all come in from all parts of the country.
In our church, the average funeral attendance for a member or one of their family members would have to be a couple of hundred.
You better say that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The minute we hear of even a great auntie or uncle passing away, EVERYONE takes off work for DAYSSS and gets to flying or driving to the funeral service. For some reason in our culture, funerals are a family reunion, LITTERALLY!
Get this, I have 3rd cousins that are my age as well as second and first cousins that are my age. Thats how large my family is. My grandma was the oldest of 14 and by the time grandma starting having kids, my greatmother was pushing out her last batch. We just kept multiplying.
As for me attending 75+ funerals a year, its because I network with the funeral directors for employment purposes. So TRFrance we still can be friends (if you'd like ) LOL
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