A bereavement support course hosted by St Mary’s Church in Frome is helping people in their community to navigate their grief by providing a supportive space for sharing and reflection. The group, which meets at St Mary’s, follows the six-week facilitated programme, ‘The Bereavement Journey’. The course is for anyone bereaved at any time and is led by volunteer facilitators many of whom have experienced grief themselves.
Revd Liz Dudley Vicar of St Mary’s says it is an offer of support to all members of the community which has been warmly received. “There are charities and groups locally providing bereavement support, but this is run by churches. Although the first sessions don't talk about faith, there is an understanding we are doing this because our faith encourages us to come alongside people and journey with them.”
Philip, one of the participants, shared how he and his wife, Lynn, found the group after losing their daughter three years ago. “We have both got a lot out of this, but I think because we’re different people, we’ve got different things out of it. Listening to people who have been kind enough to share their most innermost and upset thoughts has been a great privilege.”
It is something echoed by Jo, whose 16-year-old daughter died suddenly last summer. For her the course has provided a space where she feels able to speak openly about her loss. “This was the first place that I ever actually had to tell someone that my daughter had died, and that was really, really tough.” Jo says she felt comforted when another member of the group related to her experience. “She said, ‘Me too,’ and just being with someone else who had gone through something similar was like a huge weight off me.”
The course is facilitated by church members and volunteers many of whom have their own experience of grief. Though participants do not have to attend a church to join the course, there is an understanding that it is being led by people of faith. Pauline Burgess is one of the facilitators, “We recognise that everybody is coming from a different place, but they are all dealing something huge that’s happened. It's like a thunderbolt. This six-week course helps them learn to look at a way of managing it and find a way of going on to live with it.”
Before each session begins there is a shared meal eaten together. It allows those who’ve come along to find comfort in being with one another. Jeanne Price, another of the facilitators, says she feels the structure of the meetings, helps participants feel more at ease. “We find that people seem to relax more because we do a lunch first and have a little chat. Then, we lead the group in facilitated discussion. It works well.”
Many of the participants find the final session on faith beneficial. The course’s impact extends beyond its immediate members. Some people have found comfort later by engaging with their local church, while others have found new ways to cope with loss. Philip reflected, “It’s about serving the whole community and the individuals within it in things that matter most.”
Those leading the Bereavement Journey Course plan to run more courses with the hope of reaching more people in need. Some of the group will be joining the Frome Grief Network on Saturday 15 March for talks during the Frome Kindness Festival, from 12-5pm at Rook Lane Chapel. Find out more information about the event. www.thegoodheart.uk