The American way of dealing with death is fraught with problems. For several years, Rev. Bill Gupton and others at Heritage Universalist Unitarian Church have worked on many fronts to develop an end-of-life ministry. This ministry has included:
- Hosting a Death Café on numerous occasions, providing a safe space to talk informally with others about that most-taboo subject, death.
- Holding worship services that honor those who have died during the past year.
- Hosting the Death-Positive Film Series, showing each month a movie—fictional story or documentary—that deals in some important or unusual way with death.
- Arranging for the public, Cincinnati debut, at a local theater, of the movie In the Parlor.
- Holding multiple workshops and lectures to increase awareness of the natural burial option.
- Founding the organization Heritage Acres Memorial Sanctuary, which will eventually provide a place for natural burial.
- Training a select group of church members to perform in-home preparation of a body, for family mourning and natural burial.
- Hosting a performance of threshold singers, who provide song to a person slipping over the threshold of death.
- Providing memorial services to church members and relatives.
For more information on out end-of-life ministry, contact our Senior Minister, Rev. Bill Gupton, at:
