Forget-me-not Café

Share a hot drink and a biscuit with others who have been bereaved, in St Andrew's Parish Room - directly accessible from the church's rear car park.

We meet monthly on a Friday between 10.30-12noon. This is generally on the third Friday of the month - the church's list of forthcoming events should confirm the dates on which it is taking place.

 

 

 

Bereavement Care Team

None of us will walk this earth for ever......nor will those whom we love. Death comes to all of us...........

The Psalmist says in Psalm 90 v 10:

"...the days of our life are threescore years and ten or if we have strength fourscore...."

We have to face our own deaths and the deaths of those we love.........some of us may have suffered many bereavements, others may have been thrown headlong into caring for the bereaved. We learn in the circumstances of all our losses something of the pain of parting.

Losing someone you love is hard to cope with and people who are bereaved experience many feelings:

  • alarm and anxiety - how can I cope?
  • resentment - why did he/she have to die?
  • disbelief - they are going to come home again!
  • anger - why has this happened to me?
  • guilt - did I do all I could for him/her?

All these feelings are normal. They have to be worked through before someone can begin to build a new life. Grief, which is the suffering, pain, and hurt that is caused by deep loss, has to be faced and it can take someone a very long time to adjust to a death.

Christian belief about death:

  • God shares our hurt and pain with us.
  • The resurrection of Jesus is a sign of hope.
  • Death is not the end but a new beginning.

Jesus said:

"I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die"........ John 11 v 25-26

At the Church in the Westlands we run a Bereavement Care Team of sensitive and caring people who are experienced in coming alongside those who mourn the loss of a loved one. When our Ministers take a funeral, they advise the bereaved, that is the next-of-kin, that a member of our group will make contact with them. We remember the bereaved in our prayers and we hold a Memorial Service in late October/early November each year and those who have been bereaved during that year are invited to attend the service.

The Dove Service

For those who need professional support in coping with their loss the Dove Service may be helpful:

The Dove Service
The Dudson Centre,
Hope Street,
Hanley,
Stoke on Trent.
Tel: (01782) 683153/683155
Website: www.thedoveservice.org.uk

Counsellors at the Dove Service offer support and counselling to anyone who has experienced a bereavement at any time in their lives – including suicide, miscarriage and termination.

The Dove Service offers counselling and support for people who are facing life-changing illness or their carers, family or friends.

There are also counsellors who work with people with learning disabilities, and their carers.

Children and Families Project: offers counselling and support for children following a bereavement and for those people in close contact with them, such as parents, carers, teachers and social workers.

The Dove Service currently has a variety of outreach posts in different parts of Staffordshire.

If you would like to make an appointment at the Dudson Centre or at one of the outreach centres then please contact The Dove Service on 01782 683153 / 683155 to make a referral and to specify which outreach post you would like to attend.

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