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Schools

GriefShare Support Group

Cranford Alliance Church in Cranford is again offering the GriefShare Series and Support Group on Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. from Sept. 20 through Dec. 27.


GriefShare is a special 13-week series and support group for anyone grieving the death of someone close. It's a place where participants are surrounded by people who understand how you feel and the pain of your loss. Here you will learn valuable information that will help you through this most difficult time in your life, as you journey through grief.


One of the participants from a previous series had this to say: "As I walked into my first session of GriefShare, I was greeted with sound of gentle music and the sight of candles on the tables. I still wondered how my mourning could turn into anything like joy over the period of thirteen weeks. Now that it is over, I see that that's exactly what happened. Years ago we'd lost our 25 year old daughter to suicide. Within the last eighteen months I'd lost my mother and my sister just a week apart. And the month before, my beloved sister-in-law lost her battle with cancer. My grief was overwhelming, and I thought that my sadness would never end. It was during the GriefShare sessions that I met people who were just as devastated as I was, all with stories not so different from my own. It was during these sessions that I came to learn that this was a profoundly moving journey that I had undertaken. Our facilitator, Lisa Brennan, was soft spoken, gentle, and compassionate. We were not only listened to, but ministered to. In our grief, we were drawn closer to the Lord. We learned that "God is close to the brokenhearted". We learned how to cope with our grief. In an atmosphere of love and confidentiality, we grew to learn to open our hearts, share our stories, and allow ourselves to be healed. If you are suffering the loss of a loved one, no matter how long ago the death occurred, I highly recommend GriefShare, and the healing experience of feeling God within it all."

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Lisa Brennan, a certified and experienced Hospice chaplain, will facilitate the sessions. She attended a GriefShare support group after the tragic loss of her brother in 2009. The program is very near and dear to her heart, and has helped her work through her own grief.


Cranford Alliance Church is located at 7 Cherry St., Cranford. Family members and friends are welcome at any time. There is a $10 registration fee. Scholarships are available.

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For more information, visit: cranfordalliance.org., the GriefShare website: griefshare.org, or call 908-276-1617 and ask for Christine.

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