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| The California Democrat. | www.californiademocrat.com | Thursday, September 09, 2010 |
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GriefShare ministers to those in mourning By John L. Inman III Democrat Staff
Not able to find a good support group she said due to a lack of direction she "plodded through the darkness alone." Not wanting to see anyone else not have support she started the GriefShare program at St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 8618 Church Hill Dr, Lohman. "GriefShare is found in nearly 5,000 churches around the world and has helped over 100,000 individuals find healing from grief," Gauck said. "It is a program with direction and purpose. In GriefShare you learn how to walk the journey of grief and be supported on the way. It is a place where hurting people find healing and hope. I would describe it as having warm arms wrapped around you when you're shivering. The program has been that good." Gauck said this is the fourth time St. Paul's has sponsored the program. She said the church is committed to helping people recover from the deep hurt of loss. During her time of difficulty Gauck saw the vital necessity of Christian support groups. She said GriefShare offers a place where people can, "bring their hurts and confusion out in the open and not be judged." Adding those in grief can receive biblical answers for healing. "What makes GriefShare special is it gives those of us in mourning an opportunity to learn about our grief and heal," Gauck said. "We will always miss our loved ones, but if we learn about grief, we can heal and develop hope for the future. I have also met some wonderful people in GriefShare. We are going down the same road and we laugh and cry together. We pick up and encourage each other up when we're down." At each GriefShare session the participants view a video featuring personal stories of people who are grieving the death of a loved one while also seeing expert insights on topics important to grief recovery. Gauck said they are excellent and help people understand the grief process. After the video the group has a discussion on the video and their own life. Gauck said the discussion is a good opportunity to talk about the lost loved one and what they are doing with their grief. The group meets for 13 weeks and she said the group becomes very close. Another good tool is the weekly journal some people use. Gauck said journaling your thoughts can be a tremendous asset in helping people process their grief. Upcoming topics will include, "The Effects of Grief" Sept. 12; "When Your Spouse Dies Sept. 19; "Your Family and Grief" Sept. 26; "Why?" Oct. 3; "The Uniqueness of Grief - Part 1" Oct. 10; "The Uniqueness of Grief - Part 2" Oct. 17; "God's Prescription for Grief" Oct. 24; "Stuck in Grief" Nov. 7; "Top 20 Lessons of Grief - Part 1" Nov. 14; "Top 20 Lessons of Grief - Part 2" Nov. 21; "Heaven" Nov. 28. Gauck said people could attend whichever meeting interests them. Workbooks are also available for $12. For more information about the Lohman group, call 573-782-4458. For information on GriefShare, go to www.griefshare.org. Gauck had some final words about the program. "This is a nondenominational program," she said. "God and heaven are discussed. Most people that come to the program are not from our church and many of them do not know God, and that is ok. We are not trying to cram our faith down people's throats, but those coming should know God will be mentioned. This is a Christian support and we believe the answers for healing come from the Bible." |
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