The Congregational Church of Easton offers services to celebrate and honor the lives of those who have passed away. Funeral and memorial services offer a chance to grieve the loss of a loved one in the presence of family, friends, and God.
Service
A funeral or memorial service at our church lasts about an hour led by Rev. Basler, who will provide comfort and solace to the grieving. He provides services that uniquely represents the needs of the family as well as the life of the individual. Eulogies are an important part of any funeral or memorial service. They allow loved ones to celebrate those who have passed away, and to begin the process of finding closure. We recommend that you pick at least one person to eulogize their loved one before the day of the service, giving people time to prepare something to say. Alternatively, you can write a eulogy that Rev. Basler can deliver.
Rev. Basler is also happy to perform the service at the funeral home of your choice. In that case, he will work with the funeral director to coordinate the service. Funeral directors coordinate burial in a cemetery if you choose to bury your loved one. Rev. Basler will provide a graveside service if the family so chooses. They may either be private burials or open to all.
During the worship service, we ask that there be no flash photography.
Contact
We recommend getting in contact with the church office as soon as possible. You can call us at 203-261-2527, or e-mail us here. The service will be coordinated by the church secretary and Rev. Basler.
We offer counseling before the service is held, you can set up an appointment to speak with Rev. Basler during this time.
Preparation
This time of loss can be confusing and overwhelming for families. So we have here a list of things you will need to do for the service with us.
- Ordering the flowers: You may use a preferred florist to have flowers at the service. Please tell them to deliver flowers to our church building address at:
290 Center Rd.
Easton, CT. 06612 - Church families and friends interning in the memorial garden should bring the cremation certificate for our files.
- If burying in the memorial garden, call the church office for the niche dimensions for the urn.
- Pick out scriptures, hymns, poem, or songs that represent your loved one for the service. If you need help with this Rev. Basler would be happy to assist.
- Decide who will be speaking at the time of sharing. This is traditionally known as the Eulogy. Rev. Basler would be happy to read or share any prepared memories.
- All information for the bulletins is due 2 days before the service. We do not have a color printer so if you want a picture printed on the front cover, you will need to have the information four days before so we will have time to print. Please keep in mind this would cost extra.
- Finally, there are some items that may add to the service. Many people like to display pictures of their loved one. You can bring an album or have a digital slide show – which can be shown in the fellowship hall across the street from our church building. Many people also like to have a guest book for people to sign.
Cost
Facilities
Our sanctuary is large enough to accommodate 200 guests. Since it was built in the 1830s, it is not handicapped accessible. Funeral and memorial services must be held in our sanctuary.
We also have another building across the street, called the Old Academy Building. That building houses our restrooms and a fellowship hall that can accommodate 80 guests for a sit-down reception following the service. The Old Academy Building also has equipment to display a slideshow of treasured photos during a reception, should you choose to use the building for that purpose.
There is enough free parking for all of your guests. Parking is split between 2 lots; one next to the sanctuary and one next to the Old Academy Building. Our parking lot next to the sanctuary also has a turnaround that can be used for guests that need to park closer to the building.
You can find out more information about our facilities here, and get directions to our church here.
Memorial Garden
The Congregational Church of Easton has a memorial garden on its property that can accommodate ashes of those who have been cremated. It is open to all members and friends of the church. Please remember to provide the church with the cremation certificate. Please call the church office to get the specific dimensions of the niches.
