GriefShare Leaders

How to Comfort & Support People Who Have Lost a Loved One

Written by GriefShare | Mar 6, 2025 6:19:24 PM

Grief is a journey no one feels prepared for. It can feel a lot like treading water—and sometimes, it takes everything to keep from sinking. But receiving comfort is like being thrown a life preserver that keeps you afloat as you slowly move forward. 

If you have experienced grief, you understand the relief when people who’ve traveled the road before you come alongside to offer a helping hand. Knowing they’ve made it through—and that you can too—reassures you that you’re not alone and there’s a way forward through the pain.

Countless people in your community and around the world are just beginning this grief journey every day. They feel lost, alone, and overwhelmed, and they don’t know there’s a way forward. But you can help draw them to God, our great Comforter and Healer. When you share the comfort you’ve received—whether through donating to GriefShare or volunteering—you let others know that they’re not alone and that hope and healing are possible.

Read on to learn more about the great need for grief ministry support and how you can make an impact.

The great need for GriefShare

The raw, suffocating pain of grief is widespread and touches us aIl. Each year, roughly 3 million people die in the US and over 67 million worldwide. In the US alone, this leaves as many as 15–27 million people behind in grief—and tragedies here and overseas are compounding this pain.

This is just one of many reasons why our communities need GriefShare.

 

In a world racked by pain and loss, the need for grief support is great. Millions of people grieving a loved one’s death haven’t experienced God’s comfort, and they are searching for meaning and hope. And this is why GriefShare was created.

GriefShare is part of a nonprofit ministry, and donations enable GriefShare’s healing resources to reach more churches and individuals. 

Our mission

GriefShare’s goal is to share God’s love and care with people who are experiencing the life-altering trauma of a loved one’s death, both nationally and globally. We do this by:

  • Creating quality grief support group resources 
  • Inspiring and equipping churches to offer a GriefShare ministry
  • Encouraging hurting people to attend these grief support groups

Many people on the grief journey don’t know the hope and comfort of Christ. They are looking for answers to life’s most pressing questions, such as Where did my loved one go after death? Does life have meaning? Where is God in all this? Why do bad things happen?

By providing a safe, supportive space and Christ-centered resources, we can meet those who are grieving where they’re at; we can be the hands and feet of Christ to walk alongside them on their journeys.

“[At GriefShare], I was shown how to cope with my grief and move through it in a healthy way. I met other grieving souls who were also traveling along the same road none of us wanted to be on. We all shared our feelings and encouraged each other toward healing.” –GriefShare group participant

Sharing comfort with GriefShare

GriefShare’s vision is to equip those who’ve been helped by the program to share the comfort they’ve received with others, which can enable us to reach the world with the love of Christ.

The more churches that are able to offer GriefShare groups, the more people can know the relief of having support and guidance through their deepest heartache. But we need your help to make this happen. It’s through the support of churches and individuals that GriefShare’s healing resources are made possible.

While partnering with GriefShare can take many forms, including:

How a gift to GriefShare can help

Here are some of the ways a gift to GriefShare helps reach people who are grieving and need support.

Support for individuals

We desire that everyone would be able to receive the healing resources found through GriefShare. Your gift could provide someone who is grieving with a workbook, a journal, or other materials.

Kits to churches

Many churches here and in other countries would love to offer a ministry such as GriefShare but can’t prioritize this ministry with their existing funds. Donations to GriefShare can help make resources available to those in need. 

New resources

GriefShare creates important grief ministry resources for individuals everywhere. In addition to the kits, people are helped with the Reflections guided journal, Surviving the Holidays, and daily devotions. A gift helps expand these offerings to provide more resources for those who are grieving.

Crisis response

GriefShare helps support churches and individuals facing tragedies and natural disasters by providing GriefShare kits and resources at no cost. Donations help allow us to continue and expand this trend. 

Expanded reach

GriefShare frequently receives requests for ministry materials in different languages. So many more people could find hope through GriefShare if it were available in their language. Help us meet this need.

Go further in your own healing journey

Comfort is meant to be shared. And when you share the comfort you’ve received, you’re creating a cycle of healing that takes you deeper on your own journey and helps those who are just beginning. Kristen, a former GriefShare participant and current facilitator, explains how this was evident in her own life:

Others who had traveled the grief journey were able to come alongside me through the healing process. … One thing I learned from GriefShare is to be a conduit of God’s comfort, not just a container. I found a purpose from my pain and a passion to serve and to share the comfort and healing I had been experiencing. –Kristen, GriefShare leader

When you give a financial gift to GriefShare, you’re reaching out a helping hand to others who are just starting their journey. You’re letting them know that there is a way forward and that help is here. 

God calls us into this healing cycle as a way to bring us solace and to equip us for ministering to others:

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” –2 Corinthians 1:3–4

Another way to support those who are grieving is by volunteering with an existing GriefShare ministry or starting a new one at your church. Learn more about these options here.

Life-changing impact

“I felt lost and alone. GriefShare was a huge turning point for me.” –Barbara 
“The first meeting gave me hope.” –Dave
“GriefShare helped me to work through my grief.” –April
“It literally saved my life.” –Toni

Give the gift of healing

You can help people walking through grief to find the comfort of Christ. We invite you to make a one-time or recurring monthly donation to GriefShare.