We are from a small seaside town in the Northeast.  We run a successful coffee shop called Common Ground and a community grocery store, in partnership with the Message Trust. The minister of our church approached me about running a bereavement support activity – The Bereavement Journey® programme. 

I first learned about The Bereavement Journey® from a friend. I was impressed with the content of the videos and the gentle tone in every presentation. The tone seemed appropriate—almost perfect—for the subject of loss. I have been running The Bereavement Journey® for the past nine months and have held it three times during that period.

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. 

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.  

Here we are five years on from the Covid pandemic, which initiated in May 2021 the conversation about bereavement at our church. It’s always helpful to reflect on our original aims.  These aims included the need to challenge the culture and language we use around loss, death and dying, understanding the need to normalise what in essence is common to all humanity, that seemingly taboo topic ‘death’.

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.