Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

North Shelby  – On Sunday, Oct. 3, The Church at Brook Hills will be hosting a GriefShare seminar and support group. The event is part of a 13-week series of gatherings dedicated to helping those grieving for a loved one through faith.

GriefShare’s leaders, Tim and Linda Flowers, work to guide members of the group through their grief through a process of group discussion and incorporating faith into the grieving process. Tim and Linda found GriefShare after experiencing the loss of their daughter, and praise the group for its work in the community.

“We lost our daughter at the age of 15 several years ago,” said Linda. “Participating in GriefShare was the most helpful thing we did in our grieving process.  Now, our desire is to use this platform to help others with the same comfort we received, who are going through the pain of losing a loved one.”

The sessions last approximately an hour and a half, and Linda said during that time attendees are invited to share their current journey of how their grieving process is going.

“We have a period of sharing at the beginning, then show a video on various aspects of healthy grieving,” she said. “That is followed by a discussion about the video. Participants have a workbook that guides them the following week in digging deeper into the topic discussed.”

Seminars are held throughout the year and are led by individuals like Tim and Linda, who are familiar with the grieving process. Attendees will be provided with multiple resources that will aid them during their grieving process, and will gain support in the process of starting to rebuild their lives.

Linda said to many, expressing their journey of grief with others can seem intimidating, but many find comfort in the GriefShare seminars.

“Many find the prospect of gathering with a group of grieving people to be overwhelming. However, hearing the stories of others who face similar experiences in their grief can help tremendously. There is great comfort in knowing that others understand,” she said.

With the help of the seminar leaders and those also participating in the group, the grieving process can seem less lonely.

“GriefShare helps grieving people know how to grieve in a healthy way,” Linda said. “They can also expect, by the end of the series, to find a safe community of fellow grievers in their class who understand the issues they all face in that journey.”

She continued that “faith is the very core of GriefShare.”

“It is based firmly on the concepts found in Scripture, and points the participant to the hope that is found in Christ,” she said. “One Thessalonians 4:13 reminds us that we don’t grieve as others do that have no hope; this hope is the central theme throughout all the sessions.”

The Oct. 3 seminar will start at 4 p.m. in room C-122. Those interested in joining the GriefShare seminars can sign up through the GriefShare.org website, by clicking the “Find A Group’ button.  There is also information on the Church at Brook Hills website: www.brookhills.org/griefshare