Living Hope Funerals has been ministering to grieving families in South Sydney for nearly four years. Over the years, the number of families they support has grown, and by the end of 2025 they will have supported over 135 families.
When choosing a funeral provider, people usually only make one or two phone calls. “We’ve had feedback from many of the families we have served that something comes across in the tone of our initial interaction that enables them to choose to trust us in that moment,” explains Cheri McMaster, Funeral Planner, “we’re intentional to have the love of Christ evident in all our interactions, from answering the very first phone call”.
They also shown themselves to be trustworthy and are being invited back into communities that they’ve previously held services in. There have also been more instances of reconnection with pastors, whether they need Living Hope for their own families or for church members. “It’s a privilege to be trusted like this and get alongside Pastors and support them at these times,” says Cheri.
The team at Living Hope love working with people from different expressions of Christianity and growing their perspective of the Kingdom of God. “Our experience is affirming what God is doing in this city,” reflects Dave Richardson, Managing Director, ”He’s calling people of every tribe and every tongue.”
It feels really special to be part of that, even though we‘re not from that background,” continues Cheri, ”there’s a sense of trust to have a role of leadership in that space. And we don’t take that for granted – we walk with respect. This is something different we bring to this industry, when we walk into a church, we understand that this is a community we’re coming to serve, not a venue to boss everyone around in.”
Living Hope regularly gets the feedback from pastors that they “get church community” and understand what’s important to them. But they also understand and work with those from other faiths and walks of life.
“We’ve also been trusted to do a couple of Hindu and Buddhist funerals in the last couple of years,” explains Dave, “they weren’t turned off by us being openly Christian. We’ve also done a number of funerals with adult children that aren’t believers, but want to honour their parent’s faith, so they want a ‘religious bit’ in the ceremony, but don’t know what to do. Sometimes we recommend a Bible passage to be read, a prayer, or a hymn. It’s not forced or heavy, and we can advise them in a way that makes them think, as well as honouring their parents.”
“There’s no doubt in my mind, we need to be in this industry,” says Dave, “offering a good service at a reasonable price, and bringing Jesus into the conversation.”
Living Hope has a profit-for-purpose ethos, donating a percentage of their professional service fee to charity or the local church. And as their work has grown over the years, Living Hope has been able to donate more to local Baptist churches and charities that that the families have chosen. “We’re an income-generating business as well as a ministry,” explains Cheri,” when you refer families to us or use us, you’re building kingdom resources.”
Their growing business has also allowed Living Hope to do more work with HopeStreet in Inner Sydney. HopeStreet provides compassionate care to marginalised inner-city residents, many of whom are experiencing homelessness, dealing with addiction, mental health, physical health and legal issues, in addition to having diminished employment opportunities. Working with Ken Hall, Pastor at Woolloomooloo Baptist Church, Living Hope Funerals has been able to provide low-cost funeral options for those without the means to fund it themselves, without compromising on quality or care.
“Dave and the team have been patient, helpful and sensitive,” says Ken. “The process for some of the services was difficult and complex, but Dave walked our community through it patiently and gently.”
An older man known and loved by the team at HopeStreet passed away recently, and despite their nest attempts they weren’t able to contact his family. A good friend helped manage his affairs, and Living Hope Funerals looked after the arrangements with dignity and respect.
“Dave and the team were patient, caring and compassionate throughout the whole thing,” reflects Ken, “I highly recommend Living Hope Funerals, they’ve been fantastic.”
“When you use our service, you’re enabling that kind of ministry to happen,” explains Cheri, “by supporting us you’re helping us to support others.”
Living Hope is looking for people to partner with them in this work. “Here’s an opportunity to catch this vision,” says Cheri, “to become an advocate of what we do and who we are. With your support, we can grow this important work and continue to support families at their time of need.
You can find out more about Living Hope Funerals here: livinghopefunerals.com.au/
