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Orchard Hill Church realizes that caring for our people will help them grow in the Lord. We have several support groups and care ministries aimed and healing journeys.
Alongside
This is a caring ministry for the Orchard Hill congregation. If you are in need of a relationship with a caring Christian to walk alongside you through a difficult life circumstance, you may contact Susan Parker, Dee Monson, Wendy Blinn, Glenda Cuvelier or Pan Van Hauen Connect and Care This ministry is best described as "love in action", providing spiritual, emotional, and practical support to specific seniors with special needs. Team activity may involve home visits, running errands, providing transportation to doctor appointments, encouraging cards and phone calls, etc. People of all ages are invited to serve on this team. Contact Jacinda Canfield if you are interested. Grief Support Ministry This support ministry is an opportunity for people who have experienced the loss of a loved one. Orchard Hill members, Jon and Tammy Bronemann, lead and facilitate this group. This group will allow people to get answers to what God and the Bible teaches us about grief and to be supported by each other. We will explore how when these things happen that there are ways to cope, heal, become closer to God again and start to find a new normal in life. We will accomplish this by listening, sharing, and praying for each other. This group will meet the 4th Monday of every month (with a few exceptions) from 6:30PM to 8:00PM in the Prayer Room (#141). Grief is difficult and NO ONE needs to go through it alone. Grief shared is grief diminished - who doesn't want to feel a little less grief! Cancellations:If Cedar Falls Schools close school because of weather then we WILL NOT meet. Please listen to the radio or tv for those cancellations. Meeting Dates: Grief Group Facilitator Contacts Jon and Tammy Bronemann both lost their first spouses when they were in their very early 30s. They both did individual grief counseling with Hospice grief counselors early in their journey. They lead the group by example and share their own personal grief journey stories with group members when appropriate but mostly listen and offer compassion and encouragement. Frequently Asked Questions Is there a fee charged? No. Jon and Tammy volunteer their time and Orchard Hill Church donates the facility. This group is open to anyone and membership in the church is not a requirement. What do I do when I first come to the group? We start most meetings when new people attend for the first time by giving a very short introduction by each member of the group. It simply consists of your name, why you came, and who close to you died and when. This lets others in the group know briefly your circumstances and helps open up the discussion. You are encouraged to bring a picture of your loved one if you would like. Do I have to share or can I just come and listen? We are happy that you decided to come to the group. That can be hard in itself. Everyone has the right to pass on sharing about their stories and feelings, but you'll find that this is a safe place where people with similar circumstances will be and will be accepting and non-judgmental and very supportive. Do I have to attend every month? No. This is a drop in group. It isn't often convenient to attend each month with everyone's busy schedule. Members that attend often find that they really do feel better after coming and really do look forward to sharing and discussing their feelings. One of the mottos of our group is. Grief shared is grief diminished. |
Advice For the Bereaved
2. Take time for nature's slow, sure, stuttering process of healing. The sooner you start this process, the better you will feel. Eventually you will grieve.
3. Give yourself massive doses of restful relaxation and routine busyness.
4. Know that the overwhelming feelings will lessen with time.
5. Be vulnerable, share your pain, and be humble enough to accept support.
6. Surround yourself with life: plants, animals, friends.
7. Use mementos to help your mourning, not to live in the past.
8. Avoid rebound relationships, big decisions, and anything addictive.
9. Keep a diary and record successes, memories, struggles. Use this diary to re-visit your thoughts weeks, months and years down the road to see how you have progressed. You might be surprised.
10. Prepare for change, new interests, new friends, solitude, creativity, growth.
11. Recognize that forgiveness (of ourselves and others) is a vital part of the healing process.
12. Know that holidays and anniversaries can bring up the painful feelings you thought you had successfully worked through.
13. Realize that any new death-related crisis will bring up feelings about past losses.
This is not an all inclusive list, but merely a collection of ideas. Everyone grieves differently. Whatever you are feeling at any particular moment is OK. As long as you are working through your feelings and trying to find that "new normal" you are progressing.
Resources
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