A Message From Randy:

There are any number of ministries associated with churches. All are important. One such ministry that is, in my opinion, too often overlooked and under-considered is ministry to those working through grief. 

Sooner or later, we all encounter significant grief. Unfortunately, our culture seems to have an attitude that we should all be able to “get over” the loss of a spouse, or child or other loved one in a matter of a few months. That is simply not realistic. Grief affects everyone differently. There is no set pattern of responses and no reliable path or timeline. Often, those experiencing grief will find themselves frequently “taking two steps forward and one step back.”

Dothan, like most communities is need of additional grief ministries. And so, I am very pleased to announce that our long planned-for grief ministry at Nativity is ready to launch. This fall, we will offer these two-hour workshops:

Grieving the Loss of a Spouse
Tuesday, Sept. 27 (1:00pm-3:00pm)
Tuesday, Oct. 11   (6:00pm-8:00pm)

Surviving the Holidays
Tuesday, Nov. 8   (1:00pm-3:00pm)
Tuesday, Dec. 6   (6:00pm-8:00pm)

As the title implies, the Grieving the Loss of a Spouse is designed for those whose spouse has died. Importantly, the workshop is equally appropriate whether that loss is quite recent or occurred years ago. The Surviving the Holidays workshop is meant to address any grief associated with the loss of a loved one and it also is appropriate for a recent loss or one in the distant past.

Who should attend a workshop? My sense if your instinct is that it might be of assistance to you, it probably will be. 

Christine Floyd, a Nativity parishioner, will facilitate these workshops and I will be there to assist. Christine experienced profound grief over the loss of her husband in 2021. As a part of her grief recovery, Christine felt a call to grief ministry and has worked hard to train for her role in this ministry. 

We have room for up to 10 attendees at each workshop. Because of the limited space, we ask that you call the parish office at 334-793-7616 to reserve a spot. Please call during our regular business hours which are 8:00am-2:00pm on Monday through Friday. There is a charge of $5.00 per attendee for workbooks that will be supplied.

It is our hope that these workshops will be well-received and we will be in a position to add not only additional workshops, but also multi-week classes for folks who want to dig deeper into working through grief.

In closing, let me stress that while the workshops are offered to Nativity members, they are also offered to folks who are not members of Nativity. 
If you have a family member or friend who you think would benefit from a workshop, please let them know about this ministry.

God’s Peace to you all,

Randy+