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| Pastor Carl Kemp of Knights Creek Church at Scio, center, discusses three upcoming holiday seminars with facilitators Casey and Anita Baird Jones. The DVD/discussion series are designed to aid individuals, families and others in coping with holiday angst resulting from separation or divorce, the death of a loved one, and help children who may be grieving all types of losses, even years later |
A Scio church again is offering seminars to help those who
are struggling this holidays season due to the death of a loved one, separation
or divorce, or helping children trying to cope with any type of loss, even
years after an occurrence.
Casey and Anita Baird Jones, community outreach missionaries
at Knights Creek Church, will present the three different events at both the
church's location at 2987 Knights Creek Road (County Road 9) and at the Hope
Center, 4194 Bolivar Road-#5, next to McDonald's in Wellsville.
Grief Share Surviving the Holidays will be held from 1 p.m.
to 2:15 p.m. Thursday, December 12, at the church, and 6:30 p.m. to 7:45 p.m.
Monday, December 16, at the Hope Center.
Divorce Care Surviving the Holidays will be held from 6:30
p.m. to 7:45 p.m. Thursday, December 12, at the church, and from 1 p.m. to 2:15
p.m. Monday, December 16, at the Wellsville location.
Help Grieving Children for adults will be held after each of
the grief and divorce sessions.
This is the third year these sessions have been held in
Allegany County due to a desire by the church to help individuals and families
who may be struggling from such losses.
They also are open to anyone wanting to learn more about how to aid
family members and friends who struggle during the holidays and avoid creating
more pain for them.
Grief Share and Divorce Care are internationally-acclaimed
Christ-centered ministries that are open to persons of any faith, the facilitators
note. They include a DVD presentation, combined with discussion conducted in a
non-judgmental environment in which individuals are able to express their
feelings, if they desire, rather than avoiding and anguishing over them.
Some of the nation's best-known Christian authors,
counselors and pastors, many having experienced their own losses, provide
insight on how to handle unsettling situations that occur during the holidays. An
accompanying survival guide provides many tips on how to deal with various
circumstances, such as Christmas decorations, social invitations, gifts and
holiday meals.
The community outreach missionaries will facilitate the
groups, both having experienced trauma associated with divorce and deaths of
loved ones, along with such impacts on their own children.
Anita Jones, a retired elementary school principal, said
"I wish I had this material when I was in the schools because of the many
unrecognized struggles and losses which children face that aren't understood." She encourages anyone who is involved in any
capacity with children to participate, noting that youngsters and youth grieve
losses differently than adults and grieve differently at different ages. In addition to death and separation or
divorce of parents or other family members, losses can include moving by
themselves or others, loss of a friend or pet, job loss by parents or someone
else they know, and more.
Pre-registration is required for the seminars at
bps461@msn.com or (484) 435-0503, with name, community of residence, email and
telephone number. There is a $5 fee for
the Surviving the Holidays survival guide, with no cost for the Help Grieving
Children materials.
The facilitators note that all types of losses are addressed
in greater depth at Celebrate Recovery | Celebrate Victory which they lead on
Saturday nights at the church, along with a companion ministry, The Landing,
for struggling teens. Unresolved early
childhood losses also are prevalent among attendees at weekly Celebrate
Recovery Inside meetings for inmates at Allegany County Jail, with Helping
Grieving Children being presented at that facility.
Rev. Carl Kemp, pastor at Knights Creek, said the seminars
reflect an ongoing desire by the church to serve as “the country church with
the heart of Christ” and to offer multiple opportunities for people to hear
from grief and trauma.
The church also offers other public activities during the week,
including 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. weekday, along with Tuesday afternoon
community prayer gathering, the Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby series on
Sunday mornings; a free Community Dinner after 11 a.m. Sunday worship services,
followed by free music lessons, by appointment, for children and adults which
are led by Venezuelan music missionary David Peralta; 7 p.m. Friday children,
youth and young adult groups; and additional opportunities for area residents
to connect with others.
Further information is available from Jones and at
www.facebook.com/KnightsCreekChurch for the church and
www.facebook.com/HopeCenterAlleganyCounty for the Hope Center. Both facilities are handicapped accessible.
