The case studies below have been compiled to demonstrate the range of areas that churches and Christian organisations are involved in on a daily basis around the UK. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list, but all of those involved have shared about the journey that they are on to engage with or further develop their work in line with the Bereavement Friendly Church Charter https://www.lossandhope.org/whats-on-offer/becoming-bereavement-friendly/
It is hoped that these examples will inspire others to consider what they could develop in this vital area of ministry, but it may also encourage other churches to engage with the Charter and share their own case studies in the future. If you have a project you would like us to feature on this page, please email HERE
Christchurch, Clevedon BS21 7LL
Christchurch’s Bereavement Support work consists of a team of ten people, integrated into the Pastoral Befriending work of the Church. This work is funded by and accountable to the Ecumenical Church Council (ECC). The Clergy provide oversight through regular pastoral meetings.
Organisation of the team is via three experienced core members, and all team members are trained in bereavement support.
Most importantly, as a church we seek to support all who are bereaved or have suffered loss in any way. We do this by providing the following:
- A monthly Grieve Well Café, creating a forum for peer support and an opportunity to sign-post people to internal or external services/events. There is no agenda presented – just a chance for attendees to share coffee and cake, and to talk about their losses or anything that interests them. For many, this provides a safe place, and one to come back to from time to time to seek re-assurance or encouragement when things are tough or to share good news and successes.
- Each year, we run The Bereavement Journey® Programme two or three times. This is offered as either a daytime or evening course – to cater for the widest possible range of needs. For each course we can have up to three groups in parallel, with our core team facilitating. To date, this has provided support to around 20 to 25 people per year since we started in 2021.
- Our annual Memorial Service at the start of Advent, gives those that are bereaved a chance to spend some time in reflection and prayer, often as a family. This event is in collaboration with a local Funeral Home and is open to all who have been bereaved at any time. 50 to 100 people can come through our doors, and there are some families who use this as an annual time of remembering.
- Attendees at the Café or The Bereavement Journey do have the opportunity to request one-to-one chats with an appropriate member of the team, they are not offered counselling here, but a chance to simply share more deeply and more privately.
Two of our core team also run Bereavement Care Awareness (BCA) training and have in the past provided regular updates for the wider team to engage with this. This training has also enabled churches/individuals in neighbouring towns to undertake and set up cafés, and The Bereavement Journey.
Our objective is always to support the training of others and the roll-out of bereavement support regionally, as well as being aware of the need to work ecumenically across the town of Clevedon.
Cross-over with other services is also important. With our church also running Alpha courses and Living Life to the Full (a Christian application of CBT) supporting people in our community, this can prove a great ‘follow on’ for people who initially come looking to understand their grief.
Jim Richards Christchurch , Clevedon.
Church of God of Prophecy (Sentient Counselling)
Bishop Lenford Rowe
Sentient Counselling was given birth due to Covid-19. It was at a time when the death toll rose significantly within our local churches and the wider communities that we serve. Pastors were conducting funeral services on a regular basis. The issue of support for church members, non church members and pastors at that time was great in indeed, and necessitated further discussion and action. It was out of these discussions that Sentient was developed. At first, most of the help given was to those who had suffered grief due to the loss of a loved one. But, before long a number of other issues arose, not least mental health issues. In view of that it became necessary for Sentient to widen its bandwidth of counselling.
Good News Church Melksham’s The Bereavement Journey® story.
The Good News Church in Melksham recently celebrated running its 12th The Bereavement Journey Course – having first run the programme after coming out of lockdown.
The Church had the opportunity to take over a space in the town centre that had been used as a charity café. The café opened originally for community activities including a morning drop-in, where people could simply come and have a coffee and a chat.
Over the years this café and various drop-ins have grown exponentially and become a haven for those bereaved and needing support in the town. There is now an established hub. Community members are engaging, and they feel they have a safe space in which to be themselves and enjoy life again, little by little.
The local doctors’ surgeries all have Social Prescribers attached to them. After the lockdowns, people in the community had become socially isolated and health had been severely affected. Rather than immediately prescribing medication, the doctors were prescribing social involvement activities.
The drop-in had grown from the social prescribers bringing their clients to the space. Friendships grew, and the community expanded quickly.
John, Good News Church Leader, says “The first course was extraordinarily successful, and we were quickly approached to run a second course by people who had seen the impact on their friends. As the social prescribers heard about the course they asked if some of their clients could also join.
During the second course, a man who had lost his wife 10 years before had become reclusive, angry and bitter, joining the group at the suggestion of his Social Prescriber. Two weeks into the course he said, “I’m ready to begin life again.” The change in the man’s demeanour and appearance so touched his social prescriber that she asked if another group could be run for more of her clients.”
John Firth and The Good News Church have certainly seen expansion, connections, referrals like never before and lives changing for the better.
Here are a few comments from participants that have attended:
“I know now I am not on my own.” “I feel so encouraged to face my problems”
“I now understand what grief is. I can talk with others now.
It has been so helpful – understanding loss and how to deal with it.”
“The course has allowed free expression of feelings without judgement, and that has been liberating for me.”
John comments – “We have seen tears turned to laughter; loneliness turned to friendships. Those who have joined us have gained invaluable tools to continue their walk, and their journey with grief.”
It was a huge privilege to run The Bereavement Journey® for the first time in January 2024. Preparation work recommended by AtaLoss, ensured I caught the vision for the missional focus of the programme, to present God’s love and be a very real support to people experiencing the heartbreak of bereavement.
I was able to recruit a fabulous team, including a lady who had helped on the course the previous year.
We started to promote The Bereavement Journey 6 weeks in advance, and spoke about it at our Christmas memorial service, where 3 people booked on. We encouraged our church members to tell their friends and families, and we also sent flyers and information to GP surgeries, local churches, social prescribers, hospital chaplains, bereavement teams, and funeral directors.
We were delighted to have 16 people book onto the course – 7 of whom had no connection with any church. We expected several people to drop out, but by the end of the course we still had 12 people attending each week, which was fantastic. Regular contact and building strong relationships before the event was a key to its success.
Running the course itself was truly profound. For me personally, it resonated with God’s heart cry to bind up the broken-hearted, to comfort those who mourn and bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes (Isaiah 61:1-3). Each session ended with a short prayer. One man commented that he rarely talks in groups, but felt compelled to take part and share openly, and that the course helped him process the daily anger and sadness he was feeling over the loss of both his parents.
The overall feedback from The Bereavement Journey was truly humbling to read. Many wished that there were more weeks in the course and more time for conversations.
Some feedback quotes were really encouraging:
- ‘You couldn’t have done any more to make me feel so cared for, thank you very much, it was such a safe environment.’
- ‘Many thanks for your time and commitment to this wonderful course.’
- ‘A huge thank you to you and the team for providing such a valuable and precious course over the last 7 weeks. It’s been a huge help to me since losing my dad and I’ll certainly miss that specifically carved out time on a Tuesday. Thank you so very much for all your care and attention to detail whilst delivering this course. What a blessing it’s been.’
The group were keen to keep in touch once the course had ended, having shared so deeply with one another, so we have held a couple of reunions, which were well attended.
We also invited participants to take part in the social events of the church such as Café Connect and the walking group, as well as letting them know they would be welcome to join us for a service any time.
In summary, the Church has a real opportunity through the programme to meet bereaved people’s needs and offer a hand of friendship and support. We are all really looking forward to running the course again in 2025!
Rev’d Helen Jones, Curate, Holy Trinity Church, Huddersfield
Kingdom Faith Church, Horsham, RH13 5PX
Joanna Thomas
I think what most struck me when I first engaged with The Bereavement Journey, was the resounding number of losses, we can all own up to. Particularly when we give intentional thought to tracing our own personal history of loss. I believe being given the opportunity to reflect and even talk about the narrative of my own losses brought healing and a deeper understanding of what it means to be human.
I had never fully appreciated, before the course how therapeutic it is to have others listen and place value on what is for individuals a deeply intimate work of the heart. I have learnt the beauty of trust and vulnerability, the joy of shared sorrow and the wonderful sense of elation with each step we take towards a tomorrow, shaped and grown by loss, not defined by it.
A sudden heart attack took my husband in 2006 aged 44 years and more recently, during covid, my mother. Both deaths had a profound effect of me. I became part of the team in our church Kingdom Faith Horsham, along with Roger Greene. Roger having done the course at St Peter’s felt the call to start the Bereavement conversation at our church. Feeling the need to challenge the culture and language we use around loss, dying and death. Understanding the need to prepare to ‘die well’.
Earlier this year I attended a webinar on the Bereavement Friendly Church, affording the opportunity to consider how well or not we are doing as a church in the care of the bereaved. The 12 marks of a Bereavement Friendly Church gave the leadership a clear template for not only assessment of current services within the church, but also a clear vision of what to aim for. As result, we launched the ‘Evergreen Café’ (like the trees always with you). This has proved a wonderful opportunity for past participants to meet up and continue the conversation while keeping the bonds formed over the weeks of the course. Last time we had Roger tell us a bit about his new book! Always a welcome if any of your team want to visit!
Going forward, we have just completed a Zoom The Bereavement Journey course after doing an in-person one through February – March time. We have now run 11 programmes with well over 100 people attending. The online courses, during COVID in particular have reached people as far as Cyprus, Sweden, Germany, Austria and Scotland! Hannah at Kingdom Faith does the heavy lifting with the admin support and keeping the records, absolutely vital.
The photo shows: Myself, our congregational Pastor Colin Squires, and Anna the secretary for Horsham churches together with her friend Rachel who all came to Evergreen Café.
North End Baptist Church – Portsmouth
At the end of 2023, several people in our church experienced bereavements of family members. This along with the popularity of our ‘Service of Memories’ held once a year in partnership with local Funeral Directors, Stapleford’s, made it an obvious decision to explore The Bereavement Journey®.
In addition, during 2023, we began offering a free counselling service to people connected to the church, thanks to the generosity of Sue, a registered Counselling Psychotherapist who also has a Masters in Applied Social Care. All this led us to believe that God was calling us further into this privileged ministry.
Over this past year, through The Bereavement Journey, we have been able to walk alongside individuals during some of the most challenging and painful moments in their lives. The feedback we have received has been overwhelmingly positive, with participants expressing how much the course has helped them process their grief and find hope – lives are certainly being changed!
We have run it twice now, once online, and an in-person one on a Thursday evening, and now plan to hold a daytime course starting in February 2025.
The course provides a safe space for people to share their stories, explore their emotions, and understand the complex nature of loss. For many, it has been a lifeline, offering a sense of community and understanding that can often be hard to find. Our team, Chris, Juliet, and Sue have also seen the impact first-hand, witnessing lives touched by the comfort and support that comes from journeying through grief together.
In helping people during their darkest hours, we have been able to show the love of Christ in action, offering hope and compassion when it is needed most. We are so grateful for the opportunity to continue serving those walking through grief!
Rev. Tracey Ansell, Minister, North End Baptist Church
Oundle Baptist Church, Peterborough PE8 4BG
Judith Brashaw, Office Manager
Oundle Baptist Church has donated a diverse selection of books to Oundle Library for both adults and children. Looking at tender topics around death, dying, loss and bereavement they will strengthen the library’s collection exploring these matters for borrowers.
Oundle Library is a Death Positive Library, and works with Oundle Baptist Church in supporting people facing bereavement and loss. Death Positive Libraries aim to remove the barriers to talking about death and dying through a range of innovative activities that appeal to diverse communities.
Oundle Baptist Church is working at becoming a Bereavement Friendly Church, and has benefitted from training and support through bereavement charities At a Loss and Loss and Hope. We want to create a culture where people can feel protected, supported and listened to as they walk through loss. We offer bereavement support including occasional group meetings, pastoral support, signposting for further help, an annual service of reflection and remembrance, The Bereavement Journey and more. By taking our events into community spaces, such as the library, we aim to make them accessible to more people.
The team and I were running The Bereavement Journey® Programme in the daytime on an irregular basis. However, we felt the call from God to form a group, united in our hearts for those bereaved. We met to pray and explore in more depth the ways we could reach out with support to the local bereaved community.
The outcome of the meeting was two initiatives:
- a monthly Bereavement Café, based at the Church, and
- hosting The Bereavement Journey programme on a regular basis.
The Café was open to all who had experienced a bereavement, whether recent or many years ago, and it was advertised by flyers in local shops, tea shops and through the local hospice. The hospice staff were struggling to manage all the referrals that regularly came to them for bereavement support and were excited to hear of our plans.
The church was undergoing repairs and the builder ‘Sam’ picked up one of the flyers advertising the Café whilst working. His mother had died a few months before and he was interested in the Café but had concerns over the religious context. The team were quick to advise him that the Café was open to all, from every walk of life and all faiths or none, that everyone was welcome.
Sam came along for the first time. He was extremely tearful but said that he was encouraged to hear other people’s stories, realising he was not alone. He really enjoyed sharing his story too!
We decided at this point to change The Bereavement Journey time of day to the evening to accommodate Sam who had shown an interest in coming, knowing that this would also be helpful to those who work in the day.
Four signed up to this course, three of whom had no faith – Sam included.
The feedback from it was incredibly positive, with all the participants deciding to stay for the optional faith session.
Every session had been covered in prayer by the team – and by running The Bereavement Journey in my home with a welcome meal, I think it fostered an environment where all felt the love and deep care of God. And Sam said he felt supported to the extent that he was at last able to clear out the property he had shared with his mum.
Sally – St. John’s Meads, Eastbourne
St Peter’s first developed the idea of a bereavement café in April 2024. Pastoral encounters made us aware of an unmet need, that of a space to discuss death, dying and grief. We knew this needed to be a place of no judgement, no agenda, and where people could find a listening ear and a place to talk.
The groundwork involved prayer and training. We needed to develop skills in responding to those who have experienced loss, whether recently or a long time ago. Further, to be sensitive to the associated emotions and experiences. Even though, as a team of mainly Church of England clergy, we lead funerals, and regularly meet bereaved families, we appreciated that there was still much to learn.
I had encountered AtaLoss before, and this persuaded me to look at what they have to offer in terms of training. The team and I then booked onto most of the courses. An important aspect of the training was the Bereavement Friendly Church Charter. This continues to inform our thinking as we develop the bereavement café.
It opened in September 2024. We didn’t have any pre -conceived ideas as to who would attend. We created a space for candles for loved ones. In addition, we made room for conversation, and to sit and just be around people. The guests were made aware there was no obligation to talk with anyone if they didn’t wish to.
Co-op Funeral Care donated tea, coffee and biscuits. We invited local undertakers and asked them to share details of the bereavement café with families attending funerals. We made it clear it was open to everyone, from all walks of life. Our helpers not only lead funerals regularly but also have experience of personal loss. This has proved invaluable and reinforced the training from AtaLoss.
We noticed that the café particularly appealed to widowers. And although every loss is unique and affects people differently, we have discovered common threads. This has assisted those attending in supporting each other, and peer support is developing.
We have been working through the Bereavement Friendly Church Charter, exploring how to best meet the 12 marks. The bereavement café has helped us do this. We have been looking at how we provide appropriate support to bereaved people, trying to ensure when faith questions arise that theological messages are helpful to those who are bereaved and we support the bereaved with signposting to bereavement support services.
One of the by-products is the return of our Blue Christmas service, paused during the Covid pandemic. This is in addition to our All-Souls service and other remembering services.
The support from AtaLoss and the Loss and Hope initiative was instrumental in helping us start to become a Bereavement Friendly Church. We hope that as we continue in this, the Church will become a place where respect, respite, comfort and peace are readily available. The Bereavement café in Irthlingborough marks the beginning of this mission.
Rev Josh Jackson
The Parish Trust, Caerphilly CF83 8FL
Luke Coleman, Wellbeing Coordinator
As a charity, we have recently finished our first The Bereavement Journey course. Soon after it, we decided to run another course as we found that there was more need for bereavement support in the community. Many people within our local community have lost loved ones and need a safe space to share their stories. For Christmas this year, we are also planning to host a Blue Christmas evening which will provide a space for those bereaved to remember their loved ones over the Christmas period. As a member of staff within the charity, my role is to help ensure that members of the community have the bereavement support they need and are signposted to the right organisations that can best support them.
Riverside Church, Birmingham B13 8AR
Lindsay Lucas
Many of the church’s pastors and group leaders attended the Bereavement Care Awareness course face-to-face in 2018 and again in 2020 online. A new BCA course is recommended maybe in January 2023, for new leaders and as a refresher for those who would like to attend again as the course has been rewritten by Care for the Family in 2022.
Riverside has a history of online services which demonstrate suffering and lamenting as a real part of our Christian journey. One service, on Palm Sunday 20th April 2022 directly approached this topic, while other special services (like Mother’s Day, etc) always include references to those for whom these days are difficult including the bereaved. Blue Christmas is going to be introduced as a way to incorporate lamenting and worship in the Christmas season. Songs like ‘A Broken Hallelujah’ help legitimise lamenting in worship.
We are also discussing ways to accommodate people who feel distressed during services due to their bereavement and ways to minister to their needs.
St Edmund’s Church, Crickhowell NP8 1BB
Rev Sally Rees
Our Pastoral team of 15 participated in Care for the Family’s Bereavement Care Awareness training. Every pastoral visitor has weekly visits. We have retired nurses, doctors, and counsellors as part of the team.
During lockdown I wrote a reflection for the pastoral visitors every day – I wrote a series through Ruth on bereavement ‘Surviving Grief’ by Bible Reading Fellowship https://www.brfonline.org.uk/products/bible-reflections-for-older-people-september-december-2022
We have an annual reflective service for All Souls, and after this and our Christmas Star Service we provide refreshments and people do tend to stay – fellowship and conversations can be deeply meaningful. Providing a space for people is important. The Bereavement Journey face-to-face was completely different to online – people were much more open, so I will carry on with face-to-face. People attended in small groups and have continued meeting and looking after one another, sharing their stories – partly because of the older age group that I work with.
Stirling Baptist Church, Scotland
The Bereavement Journey® has been running on a regular basis at Stirling Baptist Church since 2016, and the church is now celebrating having run over fifteen courses!
These take place at The Life Centre and The Haven, two community outreach centres supported by Stirling Baptist Church.
The church’s commitment has been essential in maintaining and delivering The Bereavement Journey – providing facilities and a dedicated team. Pastor Anthony Luxton and the Church also provide special services of comfort twice a year, offering prayer ministry at each service; additionally, the Church offers dedicated healing services.
The Stirling Baptist community team has continued to develop a support network Listening Service, a Renew Wellbeing café, monthly bereavement coffee meet-ups and a counselling service. Occasionally team members follow up with personal visits. This is provision of wraparound support for the course.
The Bereavement Journey now runs twice a year alternating afternoons and evenings, and is publicised through church networks, local GP Health centres, libraries, and council support services. At least twelve mental health nurses refer people to The Bereavement Journey. People also come through personal referrals.
Publicity for the programme includes flyers and posters around the church, and community centres and digital/screen publicity within the church.
Alison & the team meet regularly to pray and discuss before the course starts and after each session. In addition, the team is supported by another church prayer team who prays for them.
Each session of the programme starts with a warm welcome – Participants are given the opportunity to chat with the team over a coffee and to meet others. In the seating area each person is given a gift of a personalised welcome pack and their Participant Manual.
Everyone is then organised into smaller groups for the breakout discussions to encourage the sharing of stories, listening to each other and the building of relationships within the group. On-going contact with the team and its helpers is maintained once the programme has ended, through the provision of monthly coffee meet – ups. This has proved to be of great support for those who are not quite ready to be fully independent on their grief journey.
Testimonies
“Although I found it emotionally draining, I found the course helpful and looked forward to each session.”
“Small group work was very effective.”
“The most important thing I learnt was that grief presents itself in so many different ways and that it’s okay not to be okay.”
“The thing I appreciated about the course was the kindness of the team and the quality of the materials provided, and the amazing hospitality.”
St Luke’s Glenrothes, Fife KY7 4HP & St Finnian’s Lochgelly, KY5 9AT
Rev Gerry Dillon, Priest Evangelist Central Fife Centre of Mission
The bereavement journey here is just part of living. I had the wonderful exhibition ‘It takes a village’ from Scottish Palliative Care that went down a treat as it emphasised that bereavement is complex and can be seen in a variety of different ways. I do ‘dress up’ for funerals, but I am always available to chat about life, death, grief, hope and loss, in shorts or a dog collar.
St Mary’s Church, Ross-on-Wye HR9 5HN
Freda Davies
In February we did a day for the community on bereavement with an invited GP, lawyer, chaplain from St Michael’s Hospice, funeral director and our Rector – also we had information and leaflets from AtaLoss and Marie Curie. We called it ‘Let’s Talk about Death’, and it was really successful with lots of people from the local community coming, but also we livestreamed.
Just B is a bereavement support group that we run. It brings comfort to those recently bereaved. It is normally open on the fourth Tuesday of each month, 2:30-4:00pm in St Mary’s Church.
St Mathew’s Surbiton, Surrey KT6 6JQ
Susan Kang, Southwark Pastoral Auxiliary
As a church we are focussing on supporting those in the community who have been bereaved, and we encourage our congregation to reach out to those who are grieving.
We have a small pastoral team and all have received some training. The Bereavement Care Awareness workshop is particularly helpful.
After The Bereavement Journey, it was clear that those who attended were in need of further support which groups can offer. We are now running a monthly bereavement support walking group and a monthly bereavement café to which anyone in the community who has been bereaved is welcome. These are ongoing groups where participants can come and go as they wish. The Bereavement Café offers a safe space where those who attend can share their experiences and difficulties and receive understanding and support from others in the group. The group is welcoming towards newcomers. People often say that they no longer feel alone and feel more confident about their future. Many have described the group as a lifeline.
St Wulfram’s Parish Church, Grantham
Father Stuart Cradduck
Each year St Wulfram’s Church in Grantham runs a special service to mark World Suicide Prevention Day. The service is for anyone who would like to pay tribute or remember a loved one, to show support for suicide prevention, for the survivors of suicide and the families and friends affected. Visitors are invited to light a candle of hope during the service. Father Stuart Cradduck, rector of St Wulfram’s said, “Suicidal thoughts are complex and we hope this service helps to remind us we all have a role to play, however small, in helping prevent suicide.”
Wesleyan Christian Centre, London E11 3HP
Sharon Barbour
I started to put together bespoke memory boxes for bereaved individuals some years ago. This idea was to put together a box of items reflecting the person that has died but also to enable to grieving individual or family to put items together that could be kept in the memory box to review for themselves.
