Serving: Lower Michigan
Northern Indiana &
Northwest Ohio

Resources

We are all of us sick with the terminal disease known as mortality. It may take us some time to die of it, possibly thirty, sixty years or more. But we are all without exception sick with it and there is no doubt but that death will ensue. It follows that preparing for death cannot concern merely the other person or persons in our care, it concerns ourselves.   -Anthony Bloom

Books

As death care and natural burial has been coming into focus over the past 10-15 years, there are a slew of books being written. Here a few from different perspectives. 
Eastern Orthodox Christian

A Christian Ending

How should Christian people prepare for death, their own and that of loved ones? No question can be more important than this, since death is the final reality of our earthly life. Yet particularly in the United States, we tend to avoid the question as much as we can. We consider death to be brutal and tragic. It marks an end to our ambitions, while it underscores the ephemeral nature of our existence.

This book clarifies a great many misconceptions held by most people concerning professional funeral practices, making clear that a truly "Christian ending" to our life can mean beauty and utter simplicity both in the rituals that surround it and in the burial itself. 

Purchase
Evangelical

Lay Me in God's Good Earth

A biblical case for natural burial

The promises of the Christian gospel are never more precious or more beautiful than in the context of death and burial. And yet current burial practices in Western society are archaic and impersonal. They fail to confront us with the reality of death, and they make it harder to process death or to grieve properly.

In this book, Kent and Beth argue that natural burial—laying the body into the earth in a way that allows it to decompose naturally—is not only better for the environment but is also a more accurate picture of Christian hope of the resurrection. Grounded in sound Christian teaching about death and burial, they advocate for natural burial and offers practical instructions for navigating the complex questions around burial practices.
PurchaseHoopla - Audio Book
Secular

Grave Matters

A Journey through the Modern Funeral Industry to a Natural Way of Burial

Americans all across the country are starting to look outside the box when death comes calling.

Grave Matters follows a dozen such families who found in “green” burial a more natural, more economic and ultimately more meaningful alternative to the tired and toxic send-off on offer at the local funeral parlor.

Eschewing chemical embalming and fancy caskets, burial vaults and costly funerals, they have embraced a range of natural options, new and old, that are redefining a better American way of death.
Purchase

Organizations

Local and national organizations dedicated to helping us return to natural burial practices. 

Michigan Deathcare Collaborative

Empowering the state of Michigan in natural end-of-life care by weaving a community of diverse professionals collaborating in education, accessibility, and advocacy for change.
Website

Jeremiah Commons - Pin Oak Preserve

Pin Oak Preserve conservation cemetery will create space for the diverse community of Southern Michigan to have access to sustainable and affordable burial. Burial at Pin Oak will be open to all—to people of any faith, to those without faith practices and to those with unique cultural traditions.
Website

Green Burial Council

Learn more about green burial and how to find certified cemetery stewards, funeral professionals, and funerary product sellers who share the commitment to create more sustainable after-death options for you, your community, and the planet.
Website
linkedin facebook pinterest youtube rss twitter instagram facebook-blank rss-blank linkedin-blank pinterest youtube twitter instagram