“It Renewed My Hope”

GriefShare program begins September 6th
By Pam Breuker

N3: This article was written by Ms. Breuker a few years ago and has been updated with current information

Back in 2011, a program called GriefShare started at First Christian Reformed Church in Fremont.  At that time we felt that there was a void in the church and community for those who are grieving.  Grief can leave many unresolved issues in a death.

Thus, we discovered there was a need to provide a grief recovery ministry from a biblical perspective.  Together, with the Holy Spirit’s guidance, we started a GriefShare ministry for the community. GriefShare, centered on a 13-week video series titled “Your Journey from Mourning to Joy”, provides that Christ-centered perspective on grieving.  ​
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We have run the video series nearly 20 times since then and have been so encouraged by comments from participants.  We share a couple of those here.

 One participant said: “Thank you for being the host church for the GriefShare program.  This program has helped me so much. It has been 5 months since my husband’s death and with these classes and great facilitators, I feel God is leading me on a path of understanding and maybe even a little joy.”

Another one said: “After my husband passed in August, I did not have a hopeful future.  I did not know how to move forward without him. Then I participated in your GriefShare class.  It renewed my hope and deepened my faith in Christ. My life focus has shifted. I will forever be grateful for the help I got through GriefShare!”  

We have been so blessed to have our church be a support to this program.  God has shown His hand through each session. We never know how many we will have, but we leave that entirely in God’s hands and He has never disappointed us yet. 

We are preparing to start our next series on September 6, 2022.  If you know of anyone who is searching because of a death, please share this information and have them give us a call.  We are happy to explain things further.

Please pray for God to lead the hurting people to GriefShare as we begin this journey again in September.

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