This press release was written by the pastor of The Lighthouse Church.
As my wife and I enter the season of empty nesters, we’re grieving the daily presence of our children, which we’ve always viewed as a gift from God. Grief can be defined many ways but is essentially navigating through loss. While the years of our children’s daily presence in our home may be lost, our relationship with them is still strong and their presence is still available. For those who’ve lost a family member or loved one to death, the grief is more intense due to the finality of their loss.
When someone dies our lives are immediately impacted and changed. With a loss comes shock, pain, anger, guilt, regret, confusion, and hopelessness. Grief is a natural response to loss and everyone experiences it differently. However, there is a journey towards hope and healing. The hope and healing emanate from God. God is described as “the father of compassion and the God of all comfort”.
In 2021 The Lighthouse Church began providing a GriefShare ministry that walks people through a journey from mourning to joy. GriefShare is a weekly two-hour group that meets for thirteen consecutive weeks.
GreifShare provides an avenue to share and listen to and with others who are navigating through grief while learning how to walk the journey of grief. Since its inception, we’ve had over one hundred and fifty people walk through the GriefShare Ministry.
We currently have groups meeting at The Lighthouse Church on Thursday at 6 p.m. and Tuesday at 2 p.m.
As we’ve walked with people through grief, we noticed a gap that needed to be addressed. What about the kids? Where do kids go to share and listen to and with peers navigating through grief while learning how to walk the journey of grief? I’ve heard it said that kids are resilient, durable and have an amazing ability to adapt but that doesn’t mean they don’t grieve.
It can be easy to overlook their grief, but not providing an opportunity to explore their grief can have lasting effects. Kids know about death but it’s very different when it enters their life. The way kids respond to death is different than adults. The Lighthouse Church is launching a ministry to meet kids where they are within their grief and walk with them down a road of hope and healing.
On Thursday, October 12th at 6 p.m., The Lighthouse Church will launch Thrive. Thrive is a grief ministry for children ages five to seventeen. Thrive is a weekly, two-hour group that meets for thirteen consecutive weeks. Thrive will provide opportunities for children to express their grief through creative and positive interactions with their peers. If you’d like more information about Thrive, please go to tlccma.org or reach out to Kristen McClure at kristenmccluretlc@gmail.com
– Gary Hrynoweski
