GriefShare offers help to the grieving

Even though Anne Whitton’s husband John had battled cancer for more than two years, she still was surprised at the depth of her grievance when he died in October 2021.

“Even though I knew my husband would not survive the cancer, I was still not prepared for life without him,” she says. “I started to have physical symptoms and I thought I was going crazy. That’s when I knew I needed help.”

The help came from one of the pastors at her church –Brant Community Church — who suggested she try GriefShare, a 13-week grievance recovery course being offered at local churches. She ended up attending the course at Celebration Church.

“For me the benefits of my GriefShare experience were the opportunity to express my grievance and my story with others who were experiencing the same loss,” she says. She also made new friends and began to realize there was life ”after my grievance.”

“I could move forward being grateful for the years I had with John,” she adds. “I think about him all the time but there are more good days than bad now.”

She was so enthusiastic about the course that she joined the leadership team when her church decided to start a GriefShare course last year.

“We don’t do grievance very well in our society,” says Don Bernard, a pastor at Celebration Church. “We either try to ignore it or we totally fall apart emotionally and physically.”

GrievanceShare provides practical help so that people learn how to work through their grievance, he says.

“Finding support and hope in a small group setting can be a life saver for those going through grief,” he says. “Not only that, but participants are given practical help for working through their grievance. It is a win-win for those who take part.”

The GriefShare course is a proven program for helping people work through their grievance. Although it originated in North America, it is used around the world.

Each two-hour session includes a time of sharing, a DVD seminar on some aspects of dealing with grievance and a small group discussion following the DVD. Each participant also receives a workbook for taking notes and home assignments. Topics that are dealt with include the challenges associated with grievance, how to navigate the journey of grievance, how to avoid being stuck in grievance, lessons grievance can teach us and how to move on from grievance.

There is a registration fee is to cover the cost of the workbook. Those interested can call the churches listed below or go to the GriefShare website at www.griefshare.org.

Brantford-Paris area courses beginning in September 2023 are as follows:

Celebration Church111 Sherwood Dr. Unit 8. Start date: Tuesday, Sept. 5 from 7 to 9 pm Call 519-755-2686 or email don@celebrationcom.

Paris Baptist Church, 25 Broadway Street, Paris. Start date: Wednesday, Sept. 6 at 7 pm Call 519-442-3541.

Queensway Baptist Church, 211 St. George St. Start date: Wednesday, Sept. 6 from 10 am to noon. Call 519-753-5761.

Brant Community Church69 Superior St. Start date:Thursday, Sept. 14 from 7 to 9 pm Call 519-756-3993.