This was actually a two-part event: a viewing on Friday and a visitation/funeral on Saturday. Les & Doris Loucks handled the Friday evening duties, and Nancy and Jeff Sleeger and Jack Herlocker handled Saturday morning.
Note from Les:
Hi Jack
This evening went fine.
A hint that would help: Cathy told me the family wanted people to enter thru the social hall. I made signs inside and out. I threw the outside signs away before she told me they want to enter there for Saturday. I taped outside signs on folding chairs. (you will need to make them unless you have enough outside people)
Inside signs are still up. They (Funeral Director) will have 2 people to direct traffic for funeral procession outside.
She also said there is another event tomorrow at noon in Social Hall, so some coordination needs to be done.
The family really appreciated having us there!!
Peace
Les
Les' signs were helpful on Saturday as well, although for the most part people needed personal directing (non-Mt Zion members didn't know where to go, while members thought they knew where to go). The "other event" on Saturday turned out to be a lunch with entertainment. Twenty minutes before the funeral service was supposed to start, a 20-passenger minibus with a trailer pulled up in front of the Fellowship Hall door and discharged a team of youngsters, who proceeded to unload a mess of gear (including speakers and stage gear) quickly and efficiently. If the funeral attendance had been larger it could have been bad (since attendees were supposed to come through the same door), but in this case it worked out.
Lessons Learned:
- Signs are good. Even quick temporary signs.
- If you only have one Welcome Team person at a funeral, put him/her at the top of the stairs. Nancy sorted people into "here for viewing"/"staying for funeral" and directed them to coat racks and hand-outs and the viewing area as appropriate.
- The funeral home's crew appreciates knowing the church has people who can help. Coordinate with them beforehand so both groups know what is happening.
- Get to a funeral and be in place early. People started arriving 20 minutes before the scheduled start.
- The current name tags and Welcome Team tags do not hold up well to weather and wind.
- The outside member needs to stand away from the door to maximize visibility (even if it's cold and windy). The funeral home team in the parking lot pointed people to "the gentleman down there," which helped everybody.
- Sometimes the unexpected happens. Roll with it.
Comment from Nancy Sleeger:
I don't know who determines where people enter for funerals/viewings but I think with such an elderly crowd it may have been better to enter our main entrance. It seemed a long walk & then the steps and many people appeared to be short of breath even though we told them they could be dropped at the front. The flow is a difficult one to figure out but maybe we could hash that out; certainly we need to avoid a crowded narthex.