Community Church at SaddleBrooke begins GriefShare

Gary Williams

The Community Church at SaddleBrooke is launching a highly regarded grief recovery program titled GriefShare, a program used by thousands of churches throughout the nation. GriefShare is a weekly seminar and support group designed to help you build your life after losing a loved one through death. This ministry is led by caring people who have experienced grief themselves.

Pastor Gary Williams and his wife Susie are working with the GriefShare team leader, Pat Huska, to begin this popular program. Gary and Susie launched the same ministry in Aptos, California. That program graduated more than 200 people who found healing and new direction for their lives.

GriefShare is a faith-based program that is open to anyone seeking help. It is a 13-week series that meets once a week for two hours. There are four main segments to a GriefShare session.

Care and Share: Each meeting begins with a time of caring and sharing. There is a sense of welcome and personal connections. Additional resources are sometimes provided at this time.

Video Seminars: Outstanding video seminars utilize the expertise of 40 prominent professionals: therapists, pastors, speakers and authors who are seasoned in grief guidance. This list includes favorite presenters such as Dr. Larry Crabb, Joni Eareckson Tada, Anne Graham Lotz, Dr. Jack Hayford, Dr. Erwin Lutzer, H. Norman Wright, Ravi Zacharias and Zig Zigler. Each video also includes brief snippets of personal testimonies from individuals who worked through the grieving process. Their ups and downs are shared along with brief suggestions from the professionals.

Lay Facilitated Discussion: The concepts, pains and healing processes presented in the videos are discussed. GriefShare participants may integrate their own grief journey struggles and successes into the discussion for the benefit of others.

Take Home Workbooks: Group members receive a take-home workbook that includes a short daily Bible encouragement and a weekly page for personal application, journaling and reflection.

The Community Church at SaddleBrooke GriefShare program will meet for 13 weeks beginning Thursday, January 14, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Meetings are scheduled at the CCSB Parish House, 36768 S. Aaron Lane, Tucson (SaddleBrooke). The subsidized cost is only $10 per person to cover the workbook. Call Pat Huska at 825-0231 for information.

The CCSB GriefShare leadership team members come with a wealth of background experience including individuals who have been pastors, teachers, speakers, trainers, mentors, counselors and mediators.