Complimentary Story
Loss is a part of life, and grief is a result of loss. With every major change some kind of loss occurs. We grieve after divorce, incarceration, deployment, abandonment, rejection, broken relationships, and even job loss. In one way or another, all of us are grieving in some way, though we likely absorb many lesser losses without interpreting it as grief.What we often do not know how to do well as a society is mourn.
“Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted.” Matthew 5:4
Grief is what we feel internally after loss, but mourning is the outward expression of grief. Mourning allows emotions to be acknowledged and shared. When people are given space to mourn, they begin to discover that life can still exist beyond loss.
In recent years, grief ministries have expanded as more churches recognize the importance of supporting those impacted by loss. Unfortunately, many ministries overlook one of the most vulnerable groups among us: our grieving children.
While working in a secular grief support program designed for families, Katie learned how differently children experience grief. Later, after facing personal loss herself, she discovered how deeply spiritual grief can become. Katie says she realized that many faith-based grief programs offer little or no support specifically for children.
SoulShare, creates a space for young people to walk the difficult road of grief alongside peers who have similar pain. Children learn how to companion one another, express empathy, and break through the isolation that grief often creates. When children realize they are not alone, it can be a turning point for them in their grief experience.
Furthermore, by inviting Christ into that space, children have access to the greatest grief ally we can have to help shoulder the burden. They discover they can grow closer to God through adversity rather than away from Him.
During thirty years in children’s ministry, including eleven years serving in Ukraine, Katie says she and her husband witnessed both the profound faith children are capable of and the ways painful experiences can drive them from faith. Children need safe opportunities to bring their hardest questions to God.
Loss can leave children feeling unstable, especially disruptions such like moving or changing schools is involved. Their behavior may sometimes confuse the adults around them, but these reactions are often part of the grieving process.
Children also tend to “puddle-jump” through grief. They may express deep sadness one moment and play or laugh the next. While this can concern adults, it is a very normal way children process loss.
Katie was trained by Melissa Minkley of The Grief Wellness Center. Melissa facilitates grief support training at the Sienna Wellness Center. Both Katie and Andrew have facilitation experience in other grief support programs and are graduates of the Bible Training Program at the Midwestern School of Evangelism.
SoulShare groups are divided by age and include activities designed to help children express what they are feeling while learning that all emotions are valid. The goal of the program is to make peer grief support available, not only to children, but also to parents, grandparents, and caregivers, giving entire families an opportunity to mourn together.
There are several ways the community can become involved.
The program will be offered free of charge to participants. SoulShare invites churches, small groups, and individuals to volunteer. Katie and Andrew Green, the organizers of the program, are also providing grief companion training free of charge.
Free training sessions will be held:
• August 24 and 31
• 6:00–8:30 p.m.
• Waukesha Church of Christ
• 2816 Madison St., Waukesha
• Zoom links will be available for those who register in advance.
Church groups and individuals are also invited to provide meals or help host special events.
Most importantly, we invite the bereaved to SoulShare — A place where your story matters and your pain is seen.
To apply for the training course or inquire about the program, contact Katie Green at Katie.SoulShare@gmail.com.
The Website is at:
www.SoulShareGrief.org
