Services

Recently Pastor Rick Craig conducted a seminar for our church body. Having read his book myself, I knew of the value found within its cover, and I have used the book as a chaplain for hospice. The seminar provided valuable information that the attendees grasped, and the comments were encouraging about applying what they had learned for “pre-planning” and “at-need” situations. I found Rick to be extremely easy to work with at our seminar and appreciated his knowledge on this subject. My recommendation to other churches and hospice organizations is purchase the book and have Rick do a Zoom training or a seminar at your location. It’s worth the time and empowers your staff and attendees.

Pastor Rick is an officiant we have partnered with for several years to serve our clients. He has officiated dozens of services for families at Tulocay, and quite often because they ask for him in particular; this has allowed him to meet with a multitude of survivors. Now Tulocay uses his book When It’s Time^® as a resource. When Pastor Rick conducted his seminar at Tulocay, we saw the value in his experience as he shared. My recommendation is for churches, funeral homes, chaplains, hospice, medical professionals, and other professions to use his book as a teaching tool. It’s worth the investment!

I highly recommend every pastor and church read Pastor Rick’s book and seriously consider making it part of your staff training, along with a seminar for the church body.

Thank you for the presentation for the Alliance on Aging event here at Aegis of Napa. You were very informative and articulate on a somber and morose subject often ignored. You made it palatable and enjoyable. You have a lot of knowledge and I applaud you. Thank you for sharing your experiences and talking about your family as well in the process. We look forward to inviting you to a future event here at Aegis of Napa.

Pastor Rick Craig officiated at my father’s service and I was very pleased with his kindness and his warm, personal touch. He is skilled, easy to work with, and has a winning smile, which is comforting at these times of loss. His calm, relaxed demeanor made everyone feel at ease. Pastor Craig’s skill and flexibility in crafting a personalized service to reflect my Dad’s wishes and the needs and wishes of the family was greatly appreciated.

My dad was not a religious man, but we did want to have a service that included a spiritual aspect. Since we did not have a family pastor, the funeral home recommended pastor Rick. Through his careful questioning process, my brother and I were able to give him a clear picture of what my dad would probably like, plus what we thought should be included in the service. The result was a powerful and moving service, particularly given that Rick had never met my dad nor anyone in our family. His high level of emotional intelligence and ability to elicit what’s really wanted by the family helped him craft a service that was personal and appropriate. His delivery of the service felt unscripted and personal. He was able to maintain eye contact with the audience and not just read from a piece of paper. He’s clearly committed to his work and did a fabulous job. I would highly recommend using him if you have the need.

When my sister and I lost our father, we requested a pastor who could personalize the service, allowing for a better experience. Pastor Rick exceeded our expectations beyond comprehension. He was extremely prompt in his communication and once he received our responses, he quickly arranged to make a personal visit to our home. Pastor Rick is a very approachable and warm man that made a very difficult situation easier for us to handle. It was as if we’d known him for years and was a close family friend. He was so kind and placed us at ease. Pastor Rick allowed us to reminisce about our father for three hours, never rushing us and always remaining so present in our company. During such a difficult time, there were tears, but he brought us laughter as well from his dynamic personality.

Pastor Rick incorporated all of our conversation in a beautifully written and illuminated service.  I believe he put everyone in attendance at ease and truly kept everyone engaged throughout the entire service. This was confirmed following the service, as all of our friends and family abundantly complimented his role in our father’s celebration of life. He was able to balance the tears with laughter, and that is a true craft.

Pastor Rick kept in touch with us and sent grievance manuals to help us cope with this tremendous loss in our life.  Pastor Rick is a great man and we consider him a friend as he spent countless hours reviving our father’s legacy.

Pastor Rick Craig was a godsend to our family when my father died – the perfect fit for our family. Pastor Rick first sent us a detailed questionnaire to help jog our memories and followed it up with a visit where we were able to convey the essence of our lives with my dad. Pastor Rick was genuinely interested in getting to know our family, both how it was growing up with my dad as well as how we were coping as survivors. We spent an afternoon getting to know each other and reminiscing about family both his and ours. When Pastor Rick performed the service for my dad, it felt as though he had known our family for years and knew all the stories. It was a perfect ceremony, and when my mom unfortunately died a year later, we knew right where to go to help us put her to rest…back to Pastor Rick.

In the span of five months, our family twice partnered with Pastor Rick Craig in the planning and organization of memorial services for both my mother and my husband’s mother. I use the word “partnered” because Pastor Craig spent considerable time with each of our families, getting to know us and discerning our needs and wishes in regard to providing meaningful services for our mothers.

Through a questionnaire and in-depth interviews with family members, Pastor Craig drew out of us recollections and details of our mother’s lives that allowed him to fully understand these remarkable women. He searched for the “nuggets,” as he called them, those unique bits and fragments of their experiences that made them who they were. He deftly navigated the differences in expectations between family members to craft services that were personal and meaningful and that exceeded everyone’s expectations. Pastor Craig’s guidance during times of unimaginable loss enabled our families to honor lives well lived, provided solace and comfort, and allowed us to give our mothers one last heartfelt gift.

Choosing Pastor Rick for my mother’s service was the best choice ever! The service was absolutely beautiful! Pastor Rick was able to write the most comforting eulogy that was heartwarming and so spot-on who my mother was and what she stood for. My family couldn’t say enough about the words that Pastor Rick spoke and how soothing his delivery was. Thank you for making a really hard time a little easier with such a great service to honor our mother.

Our experience with Pastor Rick has been phenomenal and we are grateful to have had him guide us through the various life events our family has faced. Rick’s presence during every circumstance, whether good or bad, from weddings to funerals, exceeded all our expectations.

When we approached him to officiate a funeral for a family member, he took the time to personally get to know the individuals in the family and their stories of the deceased. He then took those stories and memories forward and shared them in a moving way to demonstrate the life, love, and legacy that the deceased had left behind, which brought great comfort to the family. His personable nature during this process made everyone comfortable, and he went above and beyond with things such as coming to meals after the funeral with the family and helping coordinate with the funeral home prior to the service. His attention to personal detail, kindness, and compassion made a difficult day easier.

He had the same love and professionalism during the wedding he officiated. He took time for counseling the couple prior to marriage and to get to know them. He makes each interaction with a family member personal. With a spirit-filled service, our family could not think of anyone else to walk with us through these important life events and blessings.

Working with Pastor Rick to plan my sister’s memorial service made this difficult time easier to walk through. The time spent through phone calls and emails “getting to know” her and plan her service was beyond my expectations. He created a service that was personal to my sister. Although Rick had never met her, several family members thought that he had. They commented on how beautiful and personal the service was, and they loved how they felt included by Rick engaging them in the service. He integrated Scripture in his message that shared the gospel. We were all greatly comforted by the message that was given. I am so grateful for his help and service to our family.

Thank you so much for making my father’s service a perfect day! Throughout this whole process, it’s people like yourself that make tough times like this easier. You are very appreciated!