Sad People, Safe Churches
In follow up to my post on churches and family supporting the grieving parents, here is a link to a great article by Nancy Gutherie.
The article begins,
Why did you initially become interested in making churches a safe place for sad people?
Because I’ve been a sad person, and I know what it is to look to my church for companionship, practical help, prayer support, and theological clarity in the midst of overwhelming and perplexing sorrow. I remember attending a church choir retreat three months after burying my daughter and saying to the group, “I’m not sinking into depression. I haven’t lost my faith. I’m just sad, and I need you to let me be sad.” The truth is, most of us are uncomfortable with sadness, as individuals and as churches. We want to fix people and help them to feel better, and we are far less patient than God is with the process he uses to bring healing….continue reading
Nancy understands the grief of losing a child; she lost two. She and her husband have ministered to grieving families through retreats, speaking engagements and books. More information about the Gutheries and their books can be found here.
Christianity, Grief, healing, healing in grief, support for parents who lost a child
susieshy45
Kathleen,
Churches are meant to be places where people come for comfort and if they are able to lay their sorrows on the shoulders of the Great Physician, why, what better place to come to ?
Happy new year to you and your family !
Susie
kathleenduncan
Yes!! Church should be a safe place for hurting people. It is up to us – the body of Christ – to make it safe.