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By LIZZIE BOWEN | Staff Writer

NORTH SHELBY – Asbury United Methodist church will host a spousal-loss grief support that will begin Wednesday, March 8.

After losing her husband Mike, Asbury UMC Member Sunny Gilliam dedicated her life to helping others find purpose and meaning by leading grief support classes.

“Grief can be overwhelming but support groups really do help,” Gilliam said. “You don’t think you want to hear stories about other spouses passing. You don’t want to take on anyone else’s grief, but empathy is what helps you heal.”

The support group will be a free, ten-week grief support seminar entitled, “Healing Hearts,” at Asbury United Methodist Church which begins Wednesday, March 8 at 10:30 a.m.

“Support groups are like a small community,” Communications Director Amy Gonzalez said. “We are honored to do it. We are honored to have a space that is large enough and a church member who is so passionate about telling people that grief is not the end sentence. This is not the final chapter. You have a life, you can keep living, you can keep finding fulfillment and enjoyment in your every day, and we’ll help you do that.”

Gonzalez said some grieving individuals can often be hesitant to enter into support groups due to the difficulty of talking with people about things that might be very personal.

“But, I think when they get there and realize people are encountering the same issues and understand where they’re coming from, they are more likely go open up,” Gonzalez said. “They’re more likely to start that healing process.”

Gonzalez said that this support group has been meeting on and off for the past five years and that support in any way is important.

“Especially after COVID specifically, people experienced so much loss so quickly,” Gonzalez said. “We have a lot of congregational care requests come in of people who were just trying to understand how to deal with grief and how to process that. We did not want to undertake something like that lightly. We wanted to have experienced counselors in here who know practical steps that people can use. We didn’t want just anybody leaving this group. We wanted to have someone certified.”

This specific support group is called “Healing Hearts.” Gonzalez said this group is open to anyone and is no exclusive in any way.

“You don’t have to be affiliated with Asbury,” Gonzalez said. “You don’t have to live in Shelby County. It’s free, and anybody who needs support or knows someone who has lost a spouse and is struggling can attend.”

Those interested in the support group can register at Communitygriefsupport.org and may visit Asburybham.org.