What is a homegoing service?

A funeral in the Black church tradition that celebrates the person going home to be with the Lord: joyful music, reflections from family and friends, the eulogy, then the interment and the repast.

Can I change the wording on the cover?

Yes. The line above the name can be any words, such as “Homegoing celebration for” or “Celebrating the life of”. The dates print in full, for example March 14, 1941 – October 12, 2026.

Homegoing service program templates

A program for a homegoing celebration: the order of service, the obituary, the acknowledgments and the repast, in a design that celebrates a life in Christ.

Free to design and proof. Pay once to download.
Funeral program	Bifold or 8-page booklet	$24
Cards	Prayer, memorial and thank-you cards	$15
Complete set	The program and all three cards	$39

Not right? Unlimited edits for 30 days. If the file has a fault we can't fix, 100% refund within 14 days.

Cover

Celebrating a Life

Robert “Bob” Lindqvist was born on March 14, 1941, in Two Harbors, Minnesota, the second of four children. He grew up fishing the North Shore with his father and singing in the church choir his mother directed, and he kept both habits all his life.

After serving in the Army Corps of Engineers, Bob came home to marry Carol Jensen in 1965. Together they raised three children in the house on Woodland Avenue, where the porch light and the coffee were always on.

Bob taught shop and drafting at Central High School for thirty-one years. Former students still stop by with birdhouses and bookshelves they built in his class. He was a trustee of his church, a Tuesday-morning volunteer at the food shelf, and the man to call when anything with a motor stopped working.

He is survived by his wife of sixty-one years, Carol; his children Karin (Mark), Erik (Julie) and Annika; seven grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother Lars.

Bob met every day with a steady faith and a dry joke. We will miss his laugh, his patience and his hands that could fix anything.

Obituary

Order of service

What a homegoing program includes

The cover: “Homegoing celebration for” (or any line you choose), the photo, the full name and the dates.
The obituary, often read silently during the service.
The order of service, with selections, reflections and the eulogy.
Acknowledgments and resolutions, the pallbearers and flower bearers, the interment and the repast.
In the 8-page booklet: a reading, a page of four photos and a hymn with its words.

Cover

Celebrating a Life

James Earl Whitaker went home to be with the Lord on October 3, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan, leaving behind a life full of love and laughter. James was born on January 19, 1945 in Macon, Georgia.

James married Loretta Whitaker; they shared 52 years together. He worked thirty-four years at the auto plant and served as a deacon. James was a faithful member of Greater Grace Missionary Baptist Church.

James loved singing in the men's chorus, barbecue on the Fourth of July and his grandchildren's ball games.

James is survived by Loretta Whitaker; children James Jr., Denise and Michael; grandchildren nine grandchildren and four great-grandchildren; siblings his sister Ruth Ann.

A homegoing celebration will be held at Greater Grace Missionary Baptist Church.

Obituary

Order of service

Back page

Sample for an invented person, James Earl Whitaker, in the Homegoing Gold design, with a placeholder photo.

Typical homegoing order of service

Where the editor starts for a homegoing; rename, move or remove anything. Your pastor has the final say.

Family Hour
Processional
Hymn of Comfort
Old Testament
New Testament
Prayer of Comfort
Musical Selection
Acknowledgments
Resolutions
Obituary (read silently)
Reflections
Selection
Eulogy
Recessional
Interment
Repast

Obituary, acknowledgments and repast details

Paste the obituary or write it with the obituary writer; the page shows when it is full. The back page has ready wording to thank everyone for their prayers, cards, calls and flowers, which you can change word for word; the pallbearers, honorary pallbearers and flower bearers in columns; and where the interment and the repast will be.

Hymns and songs for a homegoing

With their full words in the library: Blessed Assurance, When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder, I Need Thee Every Hour, Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross, It Is Well with My Soul, What a Friend We Have in Jesus, Amazing Grace. Gospel songs such as “Precious Lord, Take My Hand” and “I’ll Fly Away” are under copyright: list them by title in the order of service. Funeral hymns.

Questions

What is a homegoing service?: A funeral in the Black church tradition that celebrates the person going home to be with the Lord: joyful music, reflections from family and friends, the eulogy, then the interment and the repast.
Can I change the wording on the cover?: Yes. The line above the name can be any words, such as “Homegoing celebration for” or “Celebrating the life of”. The dates print in full, for example March 14, 1941 – October 12, 2026.

Make a homegoing program