About the Ministry:

   GriefShare is a friendly, caring group of people who will walk alongside you through one of life’s most difficult experiences: losing someone you love.  GriefShare is an International Christian based support group for people grieving the death of a loved one.  The program is 13-weeks and there are three essential components, which are video presentations, group discussions, and a personal workbook.
   The GriefShare videos feature some of the nation's foremost Christian experts on grief and recovery topics as seen from a biblical perspective. The video seminars are combined with support group discussions of the materials presented during the video and a personal workbook is provided for individual study. This is an opportunity to be around people that understand what you are feeling.  If you are grieving the death of a spouse, child, family member, or friend, consider joining GriefShare where you may begin your journey from mourning to joy.  You may join at any time; the sessions do not need to be completed in sequential order.

TOPICS for each GriefShare Session:

1.  Is This Normal?

• Group members discover why their grief experience is harder than they imagined
• Why the intensity and duration of their emotions are normal and appropriate
• Despite how they feel right now, there is reason for hope

2.  Challenges of Grief

• GriefShare participants learn more eye-opening reasons why their pain is so overwhelming
• Some of the overlooked, yet common, effects grief has on their mind, body, and spirit
• How to get things done when they don’t feel like they have any energy

3.  The Journey of Grief – Part One

• Participants learn helpful goals to set on their journey of grief
• How to deal with those who try to rush them through their grief
• How long the journey of grief typically lasts

4.  The Journey of Grief – Part Two

• Participants learn why it’s important to put effort into their healing
• How the events surrounding their loved one’s death affect their grief
• The best ways to deal with their loved one’s belongings

5.  Grief and Your Relationships

• Group members are shown how the death of a loved one affects their friendships
• Why solitude can be a blessing and a curse
• How to deal with friends who don’t understand their grief

6.  Why?

• This session demonstrates that God wants them to share their feelings with Him
• Why being honest with God is an expression of faith
• What God has to say to them about their “why” questions

7.  Guilt and Anger

• GriefShare participants learn how to deal with false guilt
• How to grieve conflicted relationships
• How to handle grief-related anger

8.  Complicating Factors

• Group members begin to see how traumatic experiences affect grief
• How to deal with nightmares and flashbacks
• How their thinking affects their emotions

9.  Stuck

• Participants discover how to prevent getting stuck in grief
• Common misconceptions that hinder healing
• Why their path to healing isn’t always smooth

10.  Lessons of Grief – Part One

• Participants become aware of an often-overlooked reason that grief is so painful
• Why going to church can be so difficult
• The benefits of helping others

11.  Lessons of Grief – Part Two

• This session provides a more complete picture of who they are now that their loved one is gone
• Why no one grieves perfectly
• What grief can teach them about relationships

12.  Heaven

• This session answers questions about heaven and the afterlife, such as what heaven is like
• Whether they should communicate with their deceased loved one
• Whether near-death experiences are reliable descriptions of heaven

13.  What Do I Live for Now?

• Group members learn why moving forward is a necessity
• Why it’s a process
• Why peace and pain will always coexist

Scheduled Ministry Meeting Dates and Times:

   The GriefShare group meets weekly on Thursdays from 11:00am to 1:00pm either in St. Mary’s Dougherty Hall or over Zoom. 
   Two special seminars are offered periodically throughout the year.  One seminar is specifically for those that lost a spouse, titled “Loss of a Spouse”, and the other seminar is offered around Thanksgiving and Christmas for anyone grieving the death of a loved one, titled “Surviving the Holidays”.
   Please check the church bulletin for the most current program information.

Ministry Leaders:
Diana Gerland and Mary Whalen

If you are interested in more information about this ministry, please email Diana Gerland.