Losing a loved one is one of the most devastating things a person can experience. It does not matter whether the death was expected or sudden—the feelings of grief are still just as profound. Coping with the aftermath of a huge loss like this is often lonely. Despite being surrounded by loved ones, it is hard to feel heard and understood. Leaning on those who have experienced the same grief is an effective way to find comfort.
The objective of the Grief Ministry is to provide support to those who are grieving the death of a loved through application of biblical principles to the healing process. The Grief Ministry has implemented the following strategies to support those who are grieving the death of a loved one:
Sending Sympathy and Thinking of You Cards
Purpose: Purpose: Providing sympathy and thinking of you cards with comforting sympathy messages and available resources to Balboa Baptist Church (BBC) members, Watchcare members, and regular attendees who are grieving the death of a loved one.
Frequency: Ongoing
Contact: Connie Shafer at 501-984-0448 or
Purpose: GriefShare is a 13-week session, Christ-centered grief recovery support group that provides help and healing for those grieving the death of a loved one. It is nondenominational and open to people of all faiths, as well as those who do not practice a faith. Both men and women are invited to attend. Participants meet with others who have experienced the death of a loved one and facilitators who understand deep emotions and sorrow caused by grief. The program is built around three components (video seminar, small group discussion and participant guide) which work together to help participants move forward on the path of healing.
2025 Winter Session: Wednesdays 5:30-7:30pm, 1/8/2025 - 4/2/2025
2025 Spring Session: Tuesdays 9:30am-11:30am, 3/11/2025- 6/3/2025
Location: Outreach Center
Contact: Donna Marshall at 850-294-2346 or
Additional GriefShare Resources for Hope, Help and Healing after the Death of a Loved One
Attend a GriefShare group if available in your area. You can use the following instructions to help you locate a GriefShare group:
- Log on to www.griefshare.org
- Click on “Find a Group”
- Enter your zip code in the “Find a Group” search engine and a list of churches in your area that offer GriefShare will be displayed. Click on the date and time they meet to see the contact person for the group.
There are several free resources to help anyone who is grieving the loss of a loved one on the www.griefshare.org website. These resources are especially helpful for those who are unable to attend a local GriefShare Group. They offer free daily encouragement emails, a personal study section, official Facebook page, and more. Please find some suggestions that can make a big difference in your progress toward healing below:
- Daily Encouragement - Subscribe to “A Season of Grief,” free daily email messages designed to encourage you. You’ll receive 365 uplifting messages that will help guide you through the healing process. Many people find the daily email messages helpful and comforting as they grieve their loved one’s death. The messages are filled with compassionate encouragement, biblical insight, and practical help as you walk through a season of sorrow.
- God, What Is Going On? – This resource provides information and scriptures on a variety of topics relating to grief – such as *Does God care about your pain, *The reason you can have hope, *Claiming God’s hope for your life, and *Hope for forgiveness and healing.
- Personal study - The Help for the Journey resource provides a six-week personal study for your journey from mourning to joy. The section contains daily reading and exercises to help you dig deeper into the grief recovery process.
- Bookstore - The Featured Personal Help Resources provide books and MP3 audio CDs that can be purchased to help you through the recovery process.
- GriefShare in Your Feed – Get a daily message of encouragement when you “Like” the GriefShare Facebook page or “Follow” them on Twitter.
- How to Help Grieving Children –
- Caring for a grieving child can be overwhelming. If the grieving child or grandchild is an adult, the resources shared above would be recommended.
- For non-adult children, a video and supporting materials designed for parents and caregivers are available. It is not intended for viewing by children. The video provides practical suggestions by grief experts, parents, and children and is focused on how to help children or grandchildren deal with their grief, pain, and confusion.
We recommend attending a solid Bible-believing church and get involved. This will give you spiritual support while you are grieving. Sometimes churches offer one-on-one pastoral counseling appointments. If they do not, you can ask the church what Christian counselor they would recommend in the area.
Facilitating Surviving the Holidays
Purpose:
Surviving the Holidays is a 2-hour Christ-centered session that provides coping strategies and emotional support during the Thanksgiving and Christmas season.
2025 Date: Saturday, November 1, 2025 from 1-3pm
Location: Outreach Center
Contact: Donna Marshall at 850-294-2346 or