A Word from Our Pastor 2012 November Grief

Grief

A Word from Our Pastor

The holidays are just about to arrive. Many of us are planning lots of events with family and friends – meals, parties, shopping trips. However, this year our church has experienced an unprecedented number of deaths, and so many of us will be feeling those losses deeply during the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons. Even for those who have lost loved ones in years past, the holidays bring up memories and feelings of sadness. We want to offer our love and support to all who are grieving, and so we have planned several events in November and December that we hope will be of help.

First, on Sunday mornings during our 10:30 a.m. service, we will have a sermon series on “Good Grief,” that will focus on the following topics:

Nov. 11: “Death and the Afterlife” – our beliefs and experiences
Nov. 18: “Comfort and Compassion” – for those who are dying, and for those who are grieving
Nov. 25: “How to Have a Good Death”

Each of these services will be followed by an opportunity to participate in a brief “prayer chapel,” to be held in the Issei Chapel, and led by our Congregational Care Ministers. During this time, we will offer small group prayer and if you prefer, one-on-one prayer.

Second, there will be a time for sharing and follow-up to the sermons, if you would like an opportunity to talk more in depth. Our Congregational Care Ministers will be leading these groups. They will lead the discussions for each session, based on the previous week’s sermon, and will also respond to your special concerns.
Saturday, Nov. 17, 10:00 – 11:30 a.m.
Saturday, Nov. 24, 10: 00 – 11:30 a.m.
Friday, November 30, 6:00 – 7:30 p.m.

Finally, we are also planning an all-church memorial and communion service, “A Celebration of Eternal Light,” on Saturday, December 1 at 5:00 p.m. For this service, our choir will be singing, and we will commemorate anyone you would like to have remembered. Please send one photo of the person you would like to have remembered to bmuchurch@gmail.com; the photo will be projected during the service. We encourage everyone to attend this service, as it is a celebration of life beyond life – the hope we all have for our loved ones and for ourselves.

Also, if you have any questions you would like Rev. Naomi to discuss during one of the Sunday morning services, please contact the office at bmuchurch@gmail.com, or by phone or mail.

Our prayers go with everyone in our congregation and community who mourns. We hope that these efforts for “good grief” will make the holiday season more meaningful for all of us.
–Rev. Naomi