Church funerals

no ,you can ban them from the reception after the service but churches are open to the public ,so anyone can go who wants to .

I’ve often wondered that. But I guess, a Church is for everyone.
Anyone can walk in anytime, to worship. I have, once or twice walked into my church to say a prayer and found myself in the middle of a funeral service.

Same goes for weddings. You can't dictate who attends a church wedding, even though some folk seem to think they can.

Nothing stopping you from saying to someone that you don't want them there but thats where it stops because anyone is welcome inside a church.

A church is the House of God, so no, you cannot ban anyone from entering.

You can expect them to respect what is going on if there is a service of any kind in progress. If they don't the parson or priest officiating needs to find some tactful way of dealing with the matter.

I once sat through a sermon enlivened by a very drunk man who wanted to discuss every second point the parson made.

After listening and answering politely for a while, the parson said, "Please, go and sit down again. Let me finish my sermon and the service, and then we can go into my study and continue our discussion."

The drunk complied and fell asleep before the service ended.

Love it grandtante

At my sister’s wedding her old headmaster and his wife turned up at the church, They were on holiday in the area and popped in.

We once unintentionally gate crashed a church wedding. We were invited to a wedding in a town we did not know, as we were driving we realised we had forgotten the name of the church.
We saw wedding guests entering a church and decided that must be the right one. After answering groom's side I looked around and did not recognise anyone, we exited quickly and asked if there was another church . Of course, it was on the other side of the town. We arrived just as everyone was coming out At least we got the reception right.

Why do you ask Exdancer

We were unable to prevent someone coming to a Funeral in a Crematorium as well.

Many years ago it was usual in Scotland to sit in the balcony of the church to watch a wedding to which you were not formally invited. You did not mix with the guests or bother anyonew .

sodapop - I’m curious as well

Floradora there were two sisters in my local church who went to every wedding. They sat in the balcony and commented on the outfits ?. They also attended every funeral and went to the purvey afterwards. Well known and actually much missed ladies. ?

As guests were taking their seats before my son's church wedding I encouraged one elderly lady to move closer to the front. "No, no" she said "I'm a rubbernecker".

Nobody can be banned from a public event, but I believe there are also private 'family only' services. How would that be policed, though - a security firm? Bouncers? Surely not at a church!

I've never known anyone to be banned from a burial but I have known fights over who takes precedence when it was all done in taxis. Handbags at the draw it was like" Gunfight at the OK Corral,"
I have never been so embarrassed for a group of middle-aged women who all pushed to the front at the breakfast afterwards as well. I was young and innocent at the time.