Side by Side Bereavement Café
God has been blessing the Bereavement Café since it re-opened at the Railway Inn in June. The hospitality offered by the landlady and her team means that the volunteers have more time to sit and listen to the bereaved – which is a real privilege. The group attending has grown, not only in number but also in relationships. It has been great to see many new friendships formed amongst the regular attendees who support each other wonderfully.
There are a couple of people who have been with us since our time at the Church Centre prior to lockdown. They are so welcoming to those who have been bereaved more recently and encourage them greatly, not least by sharing their own experience with them. We have times of tears and times of laughter and talk about all sorts of things together.
One lady who has been coming along for just a few weeks told us that her weekend had been tough but the thought that the café would be meeting on the Monday had helped her through it – knowing she would be amongst others going through the same thing. In fact, meeting every Monday has worked well because people know the café is there for them every week. Our volunteers are truly a blessing and give freely of their time, often coming along whether on the rota for that week or not!
Angela asked whether those attending the café would be interested in having a Christmas Lunch together at The Railway Inn. The suggestion was very well received and we are now looking forward to it and menus are being handed out.
We are grateful for everyone’s prayers which have resulted in so many blessings for the café.
The final Bereavement Cafe for this year will be held on 20th December and the first Café in 2022 will be held on 3rd January.
Please contact Angela Gibson if you would like any further information about Bereavement Support or the Bereavement Café.