Last week the neighbor across the street approached Lillian asking for advice. His wife suffered with dementia and was not taking meals that he had prepared for her. She was not even moving out of her easychair. Lillian took a couple of those nutritional shake-drinks we had for her Father who is 93 and still mentally very bright. She was able to give her one and make an appointment with the neighbor to take the disabled lady to the emergency room the next morning.

However that night the gentleman got worried, called his son who told him to call 911. She left our neighborhood in an ambulance and did not come back. It turned out that she had Pneumonia and it was in such state that she died in Hospital.

So, this weekend, son, daughter, cousins, kids, grandkids, several neighbors descended on the house across the street on Saturday for a memorial in their backyard. My wife and I attended and the clergyperson who spoke was a neighbor who no longer lives here but knew the family.
The topic was the love exhibited through the life of the woman who was Mother, Grandmother,
Aunt, Sister, and neighbor. Scripture was cited 3 times, skillfully blended into the life story. Then, after a recitation of the Lord's Prayer and a benediction, folks were welcomed into the house for meal.

A couple observations:
As part of a movement throughout Christianity at this time in history known as "house church", "Simple Church", or "Organic Church" (and if you "Google" any of those three descriptives you will get enough to fill you in), a memorial service in someone's home is not unexpected to me or my family.

The Clergy person spoke with me afterwards and confessed that she doesn't do this "religious" stuff anymore regularly (though she was going to perform a niece's baptism later on that day) and asked me what "tradition" my clergy affiliations were. I am guessing this will produce enough grist for at least two more blogs!

A Wiccan shaman once told me that if I tried to do House Church, I should watch out. When he tried to do the same for his Coven, someone turned him in for zoning violations. Well, that did not happen and the future, and everything else, including you, my friend is

In God's Hands,
Steve Cornell