Funerals - Tradition and Policies
Frequently Asked Questions
Our mission at Laidlaw Memorial United Church
With respect, cooperation and joy, through acts of love that build each other up,
we seek to share the light of Christ as a Beacon on our corner in East Hamilton
When any member or adherent of Laidlaw Memorial United Church, or any member of our community,
comes to our Church seeking help in a time of grief and loss, it is our desire as a congregation to provide help and support for grieving families as an act of love and caring.
We offer to our congregation, and our community, the services of our minister, our facilities, and the labours
of our volunteers and staff. We believe that respect and cooperation can make a difficult time of grief and loss an occasion when the light of Christ can shine, bringing comfort, hope and faith.
We offer this information in that spirit of respect and cooperation. In being clear about what we can offer, our
traditions and our expectations, we can make the preparation for funerals and memorials easier for grieving families.
The most common request we receive from grieving families is for our minister to assist families in preparing
and presiding at a funeral or memorial service.
The minister will always respectfully receive requests to prepare and preside at a funeral or memorial service,
for members and adherents of Laidlaw United Church, and also for members of the wider community, no matter where the service will be conducted.
The minister, in conducting any funeral or memorial service, offers that service to families as a representative
of Laidlaw Memorial United Church. It is the contributions and labours of the congregation of and contributors to Laidlaw United Church that make it possible for a qualified minister to respond to requests for pastoral care and assistance in preparing a funeral or memorial service. The people of Laidlaw Memorial United Church are happy to offer the comfort and assistance of a caring Christian community in making our minister available to grieving families.
If there is a request for a funeral to be held at Laidlaw Memorial United Church, it is expected that the
minister of the Laidlaw United Church will preside at that funeral or memorial service.
Our minister always welcomes the participation of family members, and other clergy. It is expected that this
additional participation does not affect the customary honorarium for our minister.
The customary honorarium for the minister is a minimum of $250.00. It is expected that the honorarium will
be paid on the day of the service, preferably by cash, or cheque from a funeral home, and not by personal cheque.
Our minister is happy to preside at funeral and memorial services in any funeral home or other facility suitable
to a family. We also welcome requests for funeral and memorial services to be held in the Sanctuary at Laidlaw Memorial United Church.
When there is a request for a service to be held in our Church, it is understood that our Sanctuary is made
available for Christian Worship at the discretion of our minister, under the direction of our Church Council. The Sanctuary can accommodate a maximum of 350 persons.
It is expected that requests to use the Sanctuary at Laidlaw Memorial United Church will include a request that
our minister preside at the requested service.
We reserve the right to close our facilities during dangerous weather, in order to responsibly protect the safety
of those who would be travelling to or using our facilities. That decision is made jointly by our minister
and the Chair of Council
It is expected that when a service is held in our Sanctuary, Laidlaw Memorial United Church will receive a fee
of $400.00 to cover the costs associated with opening and heating or air conditioning the facilities. When there is no funeral home involved in the use of our facilities, it is expected that Laidlaw Memorial United Church will receive a fee of $500.00 to cover the costs associated with opening and heating or air conditioning the facilities, and the additional cost associated with funeral home staff not being available to help with set up, clean up, and security.
It is expected that the fee for the use of the Sanctuary will be paid on the day of the service, preferably by cash
or cheque from a funeral home, and not by personal cheque.
Frequently Asked Questions
Occasionally, music is requested for music at a funeral or memorial service. Often this is arranged through the
funeral home involved, especially when the service is held in a funeral home. Music at a funeral or memorial service is optional. Sound Equipment also exists to provide music for the service by Bluetooth.
When there is a service in the Laidlaw United Church, and there is a request for a musician, it is expected that
the staff musician at Laidlaw Church will be given the first invitation to provide music.
The customary honorarium for the musician is $200.00. Additional musicians are welcome to participate in
the service, but it is expected that this will not affect the customary honorarium for our staff musician. It is expected that the honorarium will be paid on the day of the service, preferably by cash or cheque from a funeral home, and not by personal cheque.
Occasionally, there is a request for catering services connected with a funeral or memorial service. This work
is done by volunteers, and because of this, there are limits and conditions to our ability to meet requests for catering.
The Laidlaw Congregation and United Church Women are not able to offer catering services for those who are
not members or adherents of Laidlaw Memorial United Church. Occasionally, we are able to provide services for members of an extended family of a member or adherent of Laidlaw United Church.
In addition, the Laidlaw Congregation and United Church Women are only able to provide catering services in
our own kitchen and Church Hall. We are not able to provide catering in any facility other than our own Church. The maximum capacity of our Church Hall is 180 people, by Fire Department Codes.
The number of people to be served must be named by the family requesting the catering, with the approval of
the executor of the estate.
The cost for catering includes the use of the facilities. If families request a menu of sandwiches, dessert
squares, coffee, tea and condiments, the cost is $10.00 per person. If families request a menu of coffee, tea, dessert squares and condiments, the cost is $7.00 per person, to a maximum of $1000.00 for any family.
Payment for catering services is due the day it is served, and should be paid to the Treasurer of the United
Church Women. Cash or certified cheque is preferred.
It is our honour and privilege to serve those who call on us in time of need. We hope this
attempt to make clear our traditions and expectations for funerals and memorials at Laidlaw
will help make a difficult and confusing time easier for your family.
Please note that the Revenue Canada Act, under the Tax Treatment of Public Charities, section 02.184
demands that Laidlaw Memorial United Church, as a registered charity, require members and contributors pay the same honoraria, charges and fees as non-members and non-contributors, in order to retain
Registered Status as a Charity.
The United Church of Canada
Laidlaw Memorial United Church
155 Ottawa St. N. at Cannon St., Hamilton, Ontario L8H 3Z2
Church Office Phone: 905-544-6536
Church Email: [email protected]
Rev. Douglas C. Moore
B.Th., B.A. (Phil), M.Div.
Your Man of the Cloth from the Fabric District!
29 Kenilworth Ave. S. Hamilton, ON L8K 2S7
Residence Phone: 905-547-2021
Residence Email: [email protected]
Laidlaw Memorial United Church Funeral Policy, approved April 2024
Laidlaw Memorial United Church