PARIS – The Weston Chandler Funeral Homes and First Congregational Church of South Paris have joined with Compassionate Friends to hold a candlelighting memorial service at 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 10, at the church, 17 East Main St., South Paris.

Families who have experienced the loss of a child, no matter what their age, are invited to attend. The church is handicapped accessible.

Dana Chandler of Weston-Chandler Funeral Homes said, “I was approached by representatives of the Compassionate Friends, which is a national grief-support group, asking us to sponsor a service and an ongoing chapter in this area. I felt the service was best suited for a church and I approached Don (Mayberry) about partnering with First Congregational. They have agreed to host the service as well as to offer space for a local chapter to hold their monthly meetings.”

Mayberry, church pastor, said the service will be informal. “People are invited to bring photos, poems and music to share. The service will be an opportunity to remember our loved ones and to light a candle in their memory. It will be non-sectarian in its approach,” he said. There will be a fellowship time after.

The mission of Compassionate Friends is to assist families toward the positive resolution of grief following the death of a child of any age and to provide information to help others be supportive. To learn more, go to www.compassionatefriends.org.

Although this is the first time a service will be held in the Oxford Hills, Chandler and Mayberry intend to carry on the tradition.

For more information, contact Liz Smith at Weston-Chandler, 743-2561, or the Rev. Don Mayberry at First Congregational Church, 743-2437.


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