Sparta Church Offering 13-Week Grief Counseling Program

The First Baptist Church in Sparta will offer a program aimed to help those struggling with grief from the loss of a loved one.

Co-Facilitator Pamela Sanders said the GriefShare program involves weekly meetings. Sanders said the program has three components: videos featuring nationally-recognized grief counselors, group discussion, and a workbook designed to be worked on between meetings.

“GriefShare is intended to help people get through it mainly by the methods I mentioned, but also with people who have been through the grief and can identify with and help other participants,” Sanders said.

She said the only cost for the program is $20 for the workbooks, although the church has scholarships available for select attendees. Sanders said she discovered the GriefShare program in 2019 when her husband passed, after which she suggested to her pastor that the church begin hosting the program themselves.

“He agreed that it is a needful program to help people suffering from grief,” she said.

The church will offer the program at the church on Monday nights from 5:30 to 7:30pm and on Friday mornings from 9:30 to 11:30am, starting February 19.

Sanders said the church has been offering the program to local citizens since 2021. Sanders said the church also knows of several counselors in the area that it can refer people to if they need additional help.

“We have checked with them,” Sanders said. “They are Christian counselors who use biblical principles in their therapy.”

Sanders said anyone who is interested in the program can contact First Baptist Church in Sparta for more information.