A Stonewall-based program aims to offer support to anyone who is grieving the death of a loved one — and it will be led by a local woman who knows first-hand the impacts of grief.
Allison Emmer of Heroic Family Missions has been grieving for her husband Paul, who died in December 2023 after a three-year cancer battle. She’ll be leading a program called GriefShare this fall at New Life Church in Stonewall. The sessions are geared for people who are grieving the death of a loved one, whether recent or past since grief has no timeline.
For Emmer, she participated in the program and found it so helpful that she decided to lead it for others.
“By last summer, I was feeling so alone and pretty desperate to have a support group to walk with through my intense grief. I learned about GriefShare through an online search for grief groups and participated in the 13-week program in Winnipeg,” she said.
“It was exactly what I needed. When I was done my session, I considered going through it again but felt strongly compelled to lead one in Stonewall instead. I approached my pastors and they were happy to offer space at the church and to order the materials.”
She led her first Stonewall group in March and had a good turnout.
“Grief is unpredictable so the attendance varied, which I saw in the group I attended as well, but we had a solid core group who came pretty consistently,” Emmer said.
“Each week starts with an opportunity to talk about our experience or what the week was like. Next we show a video about different aspects of grief, then have a coffee break and end with some time for discussion.”
She said the participants could relate to the videos, which helped to put into words some of the things they were feeling. A friend who participated in the group shared some poignant reflections.
“It’s hard to put into words what GriefShare meant to us after we lost our son. Once the funeral was over and everyone drifted back to their normal lives, we didn’t know how to function. Everything was so raw and fresh,” the friend said.
“GriefShare felt like our only lifeline. We were among people who knew loss and understood the depths of our sorrow. We didn’t have to pretend to be OK.”
Two sessions of GriefShare will be offered at New Life Church in Stonewall. One session will take place on Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to noon from Sept. 9 to Dec. 9. The other session will take place on Thursdays from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. from Sept. 11 to Dec. 11. Closer to Christmas, a special event called Surviving the Holidays will take place, but a date hasn’t been set yet.
“Going through the GriefShare program the first time helped me immensely, especially in understanding my grief and, as a result, helping walk with my children through their grief. Being able to support others has continued to help me heal,” Emmer added.
“Having a person you love die is incredibly difficult. You don’t have to walk the road alone. Grief is different for everyone, but our desire is that by joining us at GriefShare, you can grieve with hope surrounded by others who understand just how hard the journey is. We never move on, but we can move forward.”
Registration is now open at newlifestonewall.churchcenter.com on the GriefShare.org website. There’s a $20 refundable fee for those who attend all or most of the session. For more information, contact the church office at office@newlifestonewall.com or 204-467-5529.
