Grief Support Ministry

GriefShare is a friendly, caring group of people who will walk alongside you through one of life’s most difficult experiences. You don’t have to go through the grieving process alone.

It may be hard for you to feel optimistic about the future right now. If you’ve lost a spouse, child, family member, or friend, you’ve probably found there are not many people who understand the deep hurt you feel.

This can be a confusing time when you feel isolated and have many questions about things you’ve never faced before.

Our main facilitator, Deacon Melissa, lost her brother four days after Christmas in 2020 and her mother a few weeks later. She searched for a grief counselor or support group and found GriefShare. That next year, she recruited a few co-facilitators and together they started GriefShare here at BLC. Deacon Melissa says, "I know what it is like to lose someone you love and the pain of grief, the brain fog, the feeling of going crazy, and feeling lost. GriefShare helped me realize this is all normal so we decided to bring it to Bethlehem Lutheran Church and help others in the community understand their grief."

Bethlehem Lutheran Church provides a ministry called GriefShare under the direction of Deacon Melissa Derenches. Our sessions are held on Wednesdays from 10:00 am - 11:30 am. You can view our calendar for dates at event calendar.

If you know someone who is grieving the loss of a loved one, please have them contact Deacon Melissa at derenches@blcdelmar.com or 518-439-4328 to sign up or click on the link below. There is no charge for the workbooks for 2024.

To register for the Wednesday morning class: Register Here