13/10/2020
Bereavement at any time is hard. Bereavement during a period of isolation, with restricted movement and limited contact with family and friends, is the hardest thing possible. Our country is now facing ‘a pandemic of grief’.
During the first half of November, churches are encouraged to reach out to their local communities with events and services to create occasions for people to remember and have their loss acknowledged in public. The unique circumstances of our time present particular challenges; but they also provide new opportunities.
One of those opportunities is The Bereavement Journey – a 6 session course currently being promoted by Loss and HOPE to help churches respond to the pandemic. Fully resourced, the course is easily run and can be offered following remembrance activities to help grieving people process their loss. Its positive impact was recently acknowledged by its founder, Jane Oundjian being awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List.
Lockdown saw a trebling of guests attending the first online course: since then churches across the country have started their own online courses and through them hundreds of people have received real help in their grief.
To find out more about this unique way to reach out to the bereaved in your area visit: www.lossandhope.org