Christian Science - Baptist - Evangelical - Methodist - Pentecostal - Quaker - Unitarian - United Reformed

The Church of Christ, Scientist does not designate special arrangements or rituals for the funerals of it's members, and formal funeral services are optional affairs. Since the Christian Science church has no clergy, the funeral service is usually conducted by a reader, practitioner or teacher, usually an experienced Christian Scientist who devotes full time to healing ministry on a professional basis.

The format and content of a Christian Science funeral service are determined collaboratively by the family and the service officiant. The service will usually feature readings from the King James Bible and Science & Health, in addition to writings by Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of Christian Science. The service usually includes no personal remarks or eulogy, but the family's wishes regarding personalization are taken into account.

Christian Scientists may select either burial or cremation as a method of final disposal.

FOURTH CHURCH OF CHRIST SCIENTIST
42 Peter Street
Manchester
M2 5GP
Telephone: 0161 834 4129

Funeral and memorial services are personal, uplifting, meaningful and comforting. The pastor should be contacted prior to any arrangements being made. The pastor may visit and have prayer with the family at their home. The family will make the arrangements and provide suggestions for the service, but the pastor has the final authority.

Viewings are common at Baptist funerals, featuring an open casket with the deceased on view throughout the service. Some pastors will encourage the viewing to be held at the Church, either prior to the funeral service or as a closing to the funeral service - The Invitational Period. Other pastors have no preference and the viewing may take place at the funeral home.

The pastor will begin with a welcome and a few words about the deceased. Scripture readings will follow and family or friends may offer some words about the deceased. The service will also include music, either form the choir or family and friends.

Baptist funeral services are usually followed by a committal service at the graveside. While Baptists do not prohibit cremation, the vast majority of believers are buried in a traditional grave.

BIBLE BAPTIST CHURCH
59 Wood Street,
Bury
BL8 2QU
Telephone: 0161 764 3148

BURY BAPTIST CHURCH
114 Manchester Road
Bury
BL9 0TH
Telephone: 0161 763 1091

COMMUNITY BAPTIST CHURCH
The Longfield Suite
Prestwich
Manchester
M25 1AY
Telephone: 0161 766 7066

RADCLIFFE ROAD BAPTIST CHURCH
Radcliffe Road
Bury
BL9 9LH
Telephone: 0161 762 9476

Funerals in Evangelical churches are dignified occasions, but there is also a sense of joy because the congregation believes that if the person who has died trusted Jesus Christ as their saviour, they are in heaven for eternity.

The service is also an occasion of thanksgiving for the life of the person, and the funeral is often called a thanksgiving service. However, there is also sadness felt by the bereaved family and friends, and this is reflected in the course of the service.

Evangelical churches do not prohibit cremation. However, in practice, the vast majority of believers are buried in a traditional grave.

HEATHFIELD EVANGELICAL CHURCH
Millwright Street
Newton Heath
Manchester
M40 2JG
Telephone: 0161 682 1313

LIGHTBOWNE EVANGELICAL CHURCH
120 Kenyon Lane
Moston
Manchester
M40 9DF

NEWTON HEATH EVANGELICAL CHURCH
Culcheth Lane
Newton Heath
Manchester
M40 1LS
Telephone: 01706 873329

UNION HALL EVANGELICAL CHURCH
Stretford Road
Manchester
M15 6DY
Telephone: 0161 226 4329

Methodist Christians believe that the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ give them hope and cause for thanksgiving in the face of death. A Methodist funeral service acknowledges this hope and offers bereaved people the opportunity to remember their loved one’s life and offer them into God’s care.

The person who has died may have left details of the sort of funeral that they hoped for, and it is possible to incorporate some personal aspects (readings, music etc) into the traditional Methodist service. Methodist ministers will want to support families in keeping to such arrangements as much as possible and in making the service a personal and appropriate occasion.

A funeral service will usually be held in a Methodist church, followed by a short committal ceremony at the graveside or in the crematorium chapel. Methodists may select either burial in a traditional grave or cremation, depending on their personal preferences.

PRESTWICH & RADCLIFFE METHODIST CIRCUIT
Whitefield Methodist Church
Elms Street
Whitefield
Manchester
M45 8GQ
Telephone: 0161 766 6068

HEATON PARK METHODIST CHURCH
Bury Old Road
Prestwich
Manchester
M25 1JA

PRESTWICH METHODIST CHURCH
Chapel Street (off Bury New Road)
Prestwich
Manchester
M25 1AA

WHITEFIELD METHODIST CHURCH
Elms Street
Whitefield
Manchester
M45 8GQ

ZION METHODIST CHURCH
Crab Lane
Higher Blackley
Manchester
M9 8NB

THE MANCHESTER METHODIST CIRCUIT
Circuit Administrator's Office
439 Wilmslow Road,
Withington
Manchester
M20 4AN
Telephone: 0161 434 4873

MANCHESTER METHODIST CENTRAL HALL
Oldham Street
Manchester
M1 1JQ
Telephone: 0161 278 6795

CRUMPSALL METHODIST CHURCH
Lansdowne Road
Crumpsall
Manchester
M8 5ST

MOSTON METHODIST CHURCH
Ilkley Street
Moston
Manchester
M40 9PA
Telephone: 0161 688 4482

The family should notify the minister as soon as possible during the final stages of the person's life or immediately after the death, as it is likely that they will be closely involved in the planning of the funeral ceremony in addition to providing ministrations.

The service may take place at the church or at the graveside in accordance with the relatives' wishes. The family can offer suggestions and help prepare the service to make the funeral as personal as possible. The family may select appropriate hymns, readings or additional pieces of music, and may add many personal aspects to their individual service.

A typical Pentecostal funeral will feature reading of scriptures, prayers, numerous hymns and songs and a sermon delivered by the minister. The service also includes the Lord's Prayer and the Benediction, which may be reserved for the final phase of the service conducted at the graveside.

It is not uncommon for the Pentecostal funeral service to include a viewing. The casket may be open throughout the ceremony. At the end of the service the funeral director and an assistant or members of the clergy will escort the immediate family members to view the body for several minutes each. A line will then form for the entire congregation to view the body.

Pentecostal funeral services are usually followed by a committal service at the graveside. While Pentecostal Christians do not prohibit cremation, the vast majority of believers are buried in a traditional grave.

BETHEL APOSTOLIC ARK PENTECOSTAL CHURCH
Tetlow Lane
Salford
M7 4BU
Telephone: 0161492 0240

BETHESDA PENTECOSTAL CHURCH
Parkhills Road
Bury
BL9 9AU
Telephone: 0161 761 6942

EBENEZER UPC CHURCH
8 Margaret Sands Street
Hulme
Manchester
M15 4BQ
Telephone: 0161 209 8333

NEW HARVEST CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP
194 Chapel Street
Salford
M3 6BY
Telephone: 0161 278 6305

SALFORD ELIM CHURCH
Holy Angels Church
Moorfield Road
Salford
M6 7EY

"Accepting the fact of death, we are freed to live more fully. In bereavement give yourself time to grieve. When others mourn, let your love embrace them."

Quaker funerals are based, like all Quaker meetings for worship, on silent reflection and prayer. Quakers believe that shared waiting in the divine presence can bring many gifts, including the comfort which is found in the caring support of others, and the beginnings of an understanding of how to move forward in difficulty or grief.

The meeting (funeral service) begins as soon as the first people sit down and settle into expectant silence. Two Elders sit facing the gathered group, and are responsible for introducing and ending the meeting.

After the introduction, the silence may be broken by anyone who feels moved to stand and speak. The contributions might be testimony to the qualities of the person who has died, reflections on the mystery of life and death, vocal prayer or reading helpful passages from the Bible or elsewhere. Whether in silence or in speech, by their attentive thought and prayer, everyone present contributes to the power of the meeting.

Towards the end of the meeting an Elder will give the signal for the coffin to be withdrawn. Finally the meeting will be closed by the two Elders shaking hands, giving an encouragement for everyone else to do so.

Quakers may select either burial or cremation as a method of final disposal.

CENTRAL MANCHESTER FRIENDS' MEETING HOUSE
6 Mount Street
Manchester
M2 5NS
Telephone: 0161 834 5797

SOUTH MANCHESTER FRIENDS' MEETING HOUSE
82 Wythenshawe Road
Northenden
Manchester
M23 0DJ

ECCLES / SALFORD FRIENDS' MEETING HOUSE
13 The Polygon
Wellington Road
Eccles
Manchester
M30 0DS

Unitarians consider religion to be broad, inclusive and tolerant. Consequently a Unitarian congregation can include those who are of different religions, or none. Unitarian funerals vary according to the beliefs, views and values of the person who has died and are usually flexible enough to enable all to feel included.

The funeral is likely to celebrate the life of the person who has died rather than emphasise any religious significance of the death and what may follow. The service is designed to give the death meaning by exploring the life of the person who has died, as well as the gifts they have left behind. It usually includes readings, prayers, music and memories, forming a tribute to the deceased as well as comforting friends and relatives. Families are encouraged to have as much input as possible, making the funeral personal and meaningful.

A funeral service will usually be held in a Unitarian church, followed by a short committal ceremony at the graveside or in the crematorium chapel. Unitarians may select either burial in a traditional grave or cremation, depending on their personal preferences.

CROSS STREET UNITARIAN CHAPEL
Cross Street
Manchester
M2 1NL
Telephone: 0161 834 0019

BESSES O'THE BARN UNITED REFORMED CHURCH
Bury New Road
Besses O'th Barn
Whitefield
Manchester
M45 7EL
Telephone: 0161 796 2217

BURY UNITED REFORMED CHURCH

BLACKFORD BRIDGE UNITED REFORMED CHURCH
692 Manchester Road
Bury
BL9 9TQ
Telephone: 0161 761 7223

CHAPEL STREET & HOPE UNITED REFORMED CHURCH
Lamb Court
Chapel Street
Salford
M3 7AA

RADCLIFFE UNITED REFORMED CHURCH
Lord Street
Radcliffe
Manchester
M26 3DE
Telephone: 0161 723 3323

STAND UNITED REFORMED CHURCH
Stand Lane
Chapelfield
Radcliffe
Manchester
M26 1JE
Telephone: 0161 723 2488

!AUDACIOUS CITY CHURCH
5 Mary Street
Manchester
M3 1NH
Telephone: 0161 830 7000

KING'S CHURCH
King’s House
Sidney Street
Manchester
M1 7HB
Telephone: 0161 273 2168

THE MANCHESTER ALLIANCE CHURCH (Chinese Church)
Unit 9
The Quadrangle
Hulme Street
Manchester
M1 5GL
Telephone: 0161 236 8324

PRESTWICH GOSPEL HALL
Venwood Road
Prestwich
Manchester
M25 9UH
Telephone: 01706 641 486

RADCLIFFE NEW CHURCH
General Conference of the New Church
Stand Land
Radcliffe
Manchester
M26 1JJ
Telephone: 0161 724 6810

ST. PETER'S UNIVERSITY CHAPLAINCY (Anglican, Baptist, Methodist & United Reformed Churches)
The University of Manchester, The Manchester Metropolitan University & The Royal Northern College of Music
Precinct Centre
Oxford Road,
Manchester
M13 9GH
Telephone: 0161 275 2894