New Project Co-Leader appointed

We are delighted to welcome Reverend Cassius Francis to the Loss and HOPE team, as Project Co-Leader, Church Trainer & Resourcer, working alongside Katy Tutt, and we look forward to working with him. Cassius can be contacted on admin@lossandhope.org

Cassius tells us:

“My experiences of bereavement have been through the deaths of family members, close friends and fellow ministers. And, as an ordained minister I am often called on to support grieving families. To better equip myself I attended the Care for the Family Bereavement Care Awareness Course (2018) and then Cliff College’s Certificate in Bereavement Ministry (2019) both facilitated by Yvonne Tulloch, CEO of AtaLoss.org. More recently I have co-delivered training with Yvonne and hosted webinars where I have invited her to speak. I have learned that just sitting and listening to those who are grieving should not be underestimated—much like Job’s friends (Job 2:13).Prior to ordained ministry my background is in youth and community work, and mentoring. I trained for ministry at The Queen’s Foundation https://www.queens.ac.uk/ (2010-2013). I have been an ordained minister with the Wesleyan Holiness Church http://www.wesleyanchurch.co.uk/ since 2015, and I am currently employed part-time as an Operations Manager for the church. I also have responsibility for church planting through an initiative called the Oxygen Network. Most recently I have developed an independent training forum and Facebook group called Pandemic Bereavement Recovery https://www.facebook.com/groups/774354633485078 , and I am a trustee of Edward’s Trust https://edwardstrust.org.uk/, a charity supporting children and families facing loss and surviving bereavement across the West Midlands.I have been married to my better half, Vanessa, since 1997.”