It’s a terrible reality for families who lost loved ones in the Pulse Nightclub shooting: the sudden need to plan a funeral. But one Orange County church is attempting to alleviate that burden.
- Apopka church offering free funerals for victims, live streaming for families out of town
- Church originally posted offer on Facebook, reaching more than a million people
- RELATED: Greenwood Cemetery Offers resting place for victims
“It’s just a matter of us responding to a need we became aware of,” said Pastor Bernie Anderson, of Forest Lake Seventh Day Adventist Church in Apopka. “If indeed there was some places who were going to refuse services to LGBT, we weren’t going to be that place.”
Pastor Anderson said his wife called him Monday morning, after talking with chaplains caring for victims’ families. She told him that the families were concerned that they wouldn’t have places in which to have their funerals.
“She said, ‘Our church would be a place that would have these funerals,’ and I said, ‘of course, absolutely. Faith, sexuality is not a factor,” he added.
Anderson, and other church pastors, put together a simple Facebook post, not knowing if anyone would see it.
“It really caught fire, connected with people and reached over a million people,” Anderson said. “It’s not about our church, it’s about being a part of the community responding to horrific devastation.”
For those who can’t attend--perhaps family or friends who live far away--they’ve found a way to make them a part of the service. The church upgraded their audio visual equipment several weeks ago, allowing for online service streaming via eight cameras throughout the building.
“You can get people that maybe people online haven’t seen for a generation,” said Michael Fisher runs the media for Forest Lake Seventh Day Adventist Church. “It really gives people a sense of being there they wouldn’t of had otherwise.”
For Pastor Anderson, seeing Orlando’s response to the shooting is touching.
“That just restores a bit of hope and faith. And certainly for the faith community, that speaks well that we’re willing to step in,” he said. “In the face of such horrific evil being done, you do have a sense of hope.”
Pastor Anderson said several families have reached out after seeing their initial post. They also have connections to people who have offered services, like flowers, for free. For more information, families can call 407-869-0680.
“In this case, Orlando has really wrapped their arms around this event, and around this group of people in this community,” he said.