Loss of a Spouse

The Need

The death of a spouse brings a unique kind of pain. People who are widowed haven’t just lost a loved one—they’ve lost an entire lifestyle. That’s why we’ve developed Loss of a Spouse.

Loss of a Spouse by GriefShare is a lay-led, easy-to-use, two-hour seminar. It draws new people to your church by offering support, comfort, and practical teaching to grieving spouses. Think of it as outreach and care ministry in one powerful event!

The Experience

At the seminar, participants will watch a thirty-five minute video featuring respected Christian counselors, authors, and pastors and testimonies of people who’ve been widowed. After that is a moderated small-group discussion time.

Participants will take home a valuable Loss of a Spouse booklet that includes:

Devotional materials that help people find hope in God’s Word
Grief recovery exercises
Journaling prompts

How Your Church Benefits

Loss of a Spouse aids your outreach efforts and grows your church. You can:

Draw new people to your church, even months or years after their loss.

Make people aware of the kind of practical care they can receive from a church.

Offer a regularly scheduled seminar that people in your community come to know, expect, and tell others about.

The Experts

Loss of a Spouse features experts whose teachings stem from pastoral counseling and a deep love of Christ.

Dr. Sabrina D. Black

Dr. Sabrina D. Black is CEO and clinical director of Abundant Life Counseling Center. A licensed counselor and certified addiction and biblical counselor, she helps others apply spiritual values to overcome life’s challenges, including grief. www.abundantlifecounseling.webs.com

Dr. Fredrica Brooks-Davis

Dr. Fredrica Brooks-Davis is the founder and executive director of Reid Temple Restoration Center, a church-based counseling center. Her husband, Teddy Davis, was diagnosed with brain cancer three months after they married. Before his death, they cofounded the Brooks-Davis Institute for Brain Cancer Awareness, where she serves as board president.

Dr. Robert DeVries

Dr. Robert DeVries is professor emeritus of church education at Calvin Theological Seminary. His first wife of twenty-eight years died of cancer. Now remarried, he and wife Dr. Susan Zonnebelt-Smeenge work together to help people in grief and are the coauthors of many books, including The Empty Chair: Handling Grief on Holidays and Special Occasions and From We to Me.

Dr. Crawford Loritts

Dr. Crawford Loritts is senior pastor at Fellowship Bible Church in Roswell, Georgia. He has preached throughout the world and written eight books. With his wife, Karen, he is a featured speaker at family life and marriage conferences.

Dr. Deepak Reju

Dr. Deepak Reju is associate pastor at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC, where he leads biblical counseling and family ministries. He serves as president of the board of directors for the Biblical Counseling Coalition and has published several books and articles.

H. Norman Wright

H. Norman Wright is a grief therapist and certified trauma specialist. He is the author of more than seventy books, including Experiencing Grief and Recovering from Losses in Life. He experienced the deaths of his wife, son, and daughter. www.hnormanwright.com

Dr. Susan Zonnebelt-Smeenge

Dr. Susan Zonnebelt-Smeenge is a licensed clinical psychologist. Her first husband died eighteen years after he was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. She is remarried to Dr. Robert DeVries. Their work helping people in grief also includes authoring many books, including Getting to the Other Side of Grief and Traveling Through Grief.

The Hosts

Meet the individuals who host the Loss of a Spouse video curriculum.

Rev. Michel Faulkner

Rev. Michel Faulkner pastors New Horizon Church in Harlem, serving the economically and socially disadvantaged. In 2014, he lost Virginia, his wife of more than thirty years with whom he raised three children. Michel has dedicated his career, from professional football to education, to serving his community. He has a passion for leadership development. In his book Restoring the American Dream, he explains his vision and goals for future US generations.

Pam Lundell

Pam Lundell hosts the morning show for Christian broadcaster 98.5 KTIS in Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Minnesota. Her husband, John, died suddenly in 2005, leaving her a single mom. Pam says God took care of her in amazing ways as a young widow. Today, she serves on the board for the nonprofit Widow Might. Blessed to find love again with her second husband, Tim, she calls their children and grandchildren “my BFBF”: “my big, fat blended family.”

Help the widowed in your community.