Community Outreach

ALL ARE WELCOME!

This event is held annually to provide a special time prior to the holidays for those who are grieving to pause and find comfort by honoring their loved ones who have become an important part of their memories. There will be an opportunity to light a memorial candle in honor of your loved one along with meaningful music, inspirational readings and a time to reflect. The ceremony will last about a half an hour followed by a light reception. There is no preregistration required. There will also be a special acknowledgement of our women and men who have served and are serving in our military, both living and deceased, in honor of Veteran's Day.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2024

2:00pm - 3:00pm

LANGELAND FAMILY FUNERAL HOMES - WESTSIDE CHAPEL

3926 SOUTH 9TH STREET

KALAMAZOO, MI 49009

CLERGY BREAKFAST APRIL 17, 2024

Langelands recognizes the important role that clergy play in our community as they walk beside people through the ups and the downs of life.  Death is one of these critical times when individuals and families need this special encouragement. As Langelands sees the clergy provide this special care we also want to partner and support our area clergy in their essential role. It is from of this desire that we host the Clergy Breakfast every other year.  Langelands brings in a special speaker for the breakfast who is an expert in the area of grief and caring for the individual and family through death, and grief. The breakfast is also an opportunity for the clergy to come together as they share many of the same burdens and benefit from this time of fellowship. 

Speaker for April 2024 - Rev. Leonard Vander Zee is our featured speaker for the 2024 Clergy Breakfast. Leonard Vander Zee (MDiv, Calvin Theological Seminary) is the Editor in Chief for Faith Alive Christian Resources.  He has served as Pastor in six congregations in Michigan, Indiana, Iowa and New York. He experienced the death of his wife when she was 50 to a devastating disease and this prompted him to help equip other clergy to minister to those who are suffering from a painful death.  He is the author of In Life and In Death: A Pastoral Guide for Funerals (CRC Publications, 1992); More Than Words: Prayer as A Way of Life, a Leader's Guide (CRC Publications, 1995) and Christ, Baptism, and the Lord's Supper: Recovering the Sacraments for Evangelical Worship (Intervarsity Press, 2004)

Leonard Vander Zee is the father to four grown children and twelve grandchildren.

Past Speakers at Clergy Breakfasts - Dr. John Canine author of The Challenge of Living; Michael Spehn author of The Color of Rain; Dr. Robert Devries & Dr. Susan Zonnebelt-Smeenge author of numerous books on grieving including Traveling through Grief: Learning to Live Again After the Death of a Loved One; and Rev. Dr. Thomas Long author of numerous books on preaching and exegesis including The Good Funeral:  Death, Grief, and the Community of Care.

Some the comments shared by clergy who have attended a Langeland Clergy Breakfast:

“Relevant subject matter, knowledgeable speakers, and opportunity to make connections with other clergy”

“Timing, setting, breakfast, speakers and the welcome from the staff was great!”

“The subject matter of the Breakfast and the contacts made were very beneficial.”

HOSPICE CAREGIVER AWARDS ANNUAL BANQUET 

OCTOBER 9, 2024 BANQUET 

It is Langeland Family Funeral Homes pleasure to bring special recognition to our area’s hospice caregivers. These individuals give of themselves every day and play such a significant role in families’ lives. It is our desire to give an opportunity for people to share how much an individual has touched theirs and others’ lives with their caring.

Langelands is currently taking nominations for the monthly Hospice Caregiver Award which will be recognized at a banquet in 2025. Go to www.langelands.com to submit a nomination.

Six Session Grief Support Groups are held periodically throughout the year.

There are also monthly Grief Support Groups which are held on the second Tuesday of each month.  

See the discription of the Grief Support Groups under the Grief and Healing tab.