The loss of someone you love can often be a difficult time. The Church is always available for parish funerals, regardless of whether or not the deceased or the bereaved have any connection with the Church. Your first point of contact will be a Funeral Director, who will make the arrangements for you and make the first contact with a Minister.
Services take many different forms: when there is a Cremation at Parkgrove or Dundee Crematoria, it is often good to have a local service for people nearby. This can be in the Church or the Service Rooms, depending on the wishes of the family. The main part of the service, with the 'Eulogy' or remembrance of the deceased, would normally be at whichever venue most mourners are expected to attend.
When there is a burial it is particularly helpful to have a service before-hand in the Church or Rooms, so that the service does not need to be cut short in the event of severe weather. The commital at the graveside would then be quite short.
Some suggestions are now being made that families might want to have a private commital first, at either graveside or crematorium, with an early evening Thanksgiving service following later when friends and neighbours can gather without having to take time off work. This may become helpful, but it can be harder for the Minister to be available at this time, as many official meetings take place in the evenings. If this is being considered, it is safer to think of 5 pm or 5.30 pm times for the Thanksgiving Service.
When you ask for a Minister to conduct a funeral service, it will take a broadly Christian form; however, you will also be able to provide input to the service - for instance, your own choice of hymns is asked for, and you may wish appropriate music to come in to or leave by. If a family member wants to speak, they should prepare a short written speach which enables the Minister to take over if the speaker can't manage to complete it.
In any event, the Minister or Reader will make arrangements to meet the immediate family before the funeral to discuss arrangements and make notes about the deceased's life.