Choosing the right funeral home is important. Select a funeral home where you feel comfortable and that has a staff you can connect with. Here are some suggestions of places that MDUMC works with often:

Dettling Funeral Home
14094 Memorial Dr
Houston, TX 77079
(281) 497-2121
www.dettlingfuneral.com

Memorial Oaks Funeral Home & Cemetery
13001 Katy Fwy
Houston, TX 77079
(281) 497-2210
www.dignitymemorial.com

After you have contacted the funeral home, but before a service date is set, contact the church. It is helpful to have a few memorial service date options and any pastor preferences you have in mind before you call. Please contact MDUMC’s Director of Life Events and Caring Ministries:

Kelly Cragg Vicente
(713) 468-8356
KellyVicente@mdumc.org

Once the memorial service date has been reserved and the pastor has been selected, a meeting will be scheduled between the family and the pastor to begin planning the service. Please bring a digital or printed photo for the service bulletin to this meeting.

In alignment with our belief in extending God’s love to all, we are here to support anyone coping with the loss of a loved one. Whether you’re a guest, visitor, friend, or seeking a church home, along with our valued members, you’re welcome to inquire about hosting your loved one’s funeral or memorial service at Memorial Drive UMC. We aim to assist families during this tender time, depending on the availability of our pastors and facilities.

In a funeral, the casket holding the body of the deceased is typically present, whereas in a memorial service, there is no casket. However, it's common for an urn containing the cremated ashes of the deceased to be present at a memorial service. At MDUMC, we have a closed casket policy, meaning that caskets will remain closed throughout their time on our campus.

All funeral and memorial services at MDUMC are officiated by one of our pastors.

Prelude

Words of Grace and Greeting

Hymn of Praise

Prayer of Comfort

Scripture Reading

Sharing of Remembrances

Solo or Hymn

Words of Affirmation and Hope

Prayers of Commendation

Prayer of Thanksgiving

The Lord’s Prayer

Hymn of Triumph

Benediction

Postlude

We hold funerals and memorial services Monday – Saturday from 9 AM to 4 PM, depending on the availability of our pastors and facilities. We do not hold services on Sundays.

The Landrum Prayer Chapel: up to 40 guests (with no media support)

The Friendship Court: up to 75 guests

The Sanctuary: up to 1000 guests

The Journey: up to 600 guests

To ensure your family and our staff have the adequate planning time, we request a minimum of three business days between the service request and the day of the service.

- Initial meeting with Director of Life Events and Caring Ministries and the Pastor officiating the service to arrange and complete all details of the service.

- Funeral/memorial service held in a space at MDUMC lasting approximately 60 minutes.

- Funeral guild volunteers present to handle all aspects of hospitality.

- A media staff member to run all media aspects of the service.

- Design and printing of a standard celebration of life bulletin.

- Any tables, tablecloths, or chairs needed for the service or reception.

- Water, coffee, punch, and cookies provided by MDUMC’s kitchen for the reception.

Yes, upon request during the initial meeting, an audio recording can be arranged for any service. For families interested in streaming or recording their service, four media techs will need to be hired (see fees below). A dedicated webpage will be established on our website for the service, facilitating easy sharing with those unable to attend in person. The service will be live-streamed, and a Dropbox link containing the recording will be promptly forwarded to the family after the service concludes.

Depending on the size of the service, our receptions are typically held in the Narthex, Friendship Court, or Wesley Hall. Our kitchen will provide water, coffee, punch, and cookies at no cost for the number of guests attending the service. The family can choose to bring in their own food or hire a caterer. Additional platters can be ordered from the kitchen and invoiced following the service.

- Finger Sandwich Platter - $40 (Serves about 20) (Deli Meat and Cheese on Soft Roll

or Chicken Salad on Mini Croissant)

- Cubed Cheese Platter - $60 (Serves about 40)

- Vegetable Platter - $40 (Serves about 20)

- Mixed Fruit Platter - $60 (Serves about 40)

It is the family’s responsibility to order altar flowers if desired. If you choose to have flowers, please let the florist know that the Sanctuary doors will be open two hours prior to the service for all deliveries. Flowers will need to be taken with the family when they leave the church. Any flowers that are left behind will be donated to the church. Floral arrangements should not be taller than the cross on the altar.

If desired, our media department will send a link to a Dropbox folder for the family to upload photos to be played on a loop prior to the service starting and during the reception. The slideshow will be played on the televisions in the Narthex, the screens in the sanctuary or the Journey, and the televisions in the Friendship Court.

Yes, 8 foot table will be set up in the Narthex with a black tablecloth for family memorabilia. A Funeral Guild member will assist in setting up any photos or memorabilia before the service. There will also be an area available for a guest book if you wish to bring one. The church provides table easels and tripod easels for photographs. Once the memorial service has begun, the memorabilia, photos, and flowers in the Narthex will be moved to the reception area.

Music plays a vital role in any of our worship services at MDUMC. Your pastor will assist you in selecting music for the service. Typically, hymns are selected out of our Methodist Hymnal but secular music that aligns with the values and atmosphere of our church setting may be used in conjunction with the approval of our pastors. We will provide an organist for every service as well as a soloist if requested.

We suggest arriving an hour prior to the service beginning. This allows ample time for the family to set up the memorabilia table and familiarize themselves with the Sanctuary before guests arrive. The Family/Bride’s Room, located off the Sanctuary, will be accessible for the family to convene before the service and to store any necessary items. Water will be provided for the family in this room.

Our Funeral Guild will reserve the number of rows needed for the family to sit together at the front of the worship space on the left-hand side.

Our Funeral Guild will greet you as you arrive and will be present to answer any questions you may have. They will also assist you with setting up a memorabilia table. About 15 minutes prior to the service, the family will gather in the Family/Bride’s Room to ensure their guests are able to move into the worship space in a timely manner. About 10 minutes prior to the service your pastor will meet and pray with the family and then lead them into the worship space. At the close of the service, the family will be led to the reception space.

While there is no charge for the worship venue, there are honorariums and fees for the individuals assisting with the service.

- Suggested pastoral honorarium: $350

- Organist: $300

- Soloist (staff): $300

- Soloist (congregation): $175

- Media Tech: $150

o If streaming 4 media techs need to be hired at $150 each.

- Food Services, if needed

Contact our Director of Life Events and Caring Ministries to confirm availability of our worship spaces and clergy. Once a date and pastor are confirmed, a meeting will be set up to plan the order of service as well as the logistics of the reception. Key points to think about prior to this initial meeting are scriptures to be read, hymns to be sung, and friends or close family members to speak for remembrances (usually 5 minutes or less).

To set up a meeting about planning a memorial service, please contact Kelly Cragg Vicente.