Processing the death of a family member or friend who took their own life is a process that never ends. The feeling of grief, guilt and “am I the only one?” take over.
After hearing about Jonathan Buchan’s death, Dan Broyles, pastor of Care and Strategic Planning at Valencia Hills Community Church, got right to work implementing the “You’re Not Alone” care group at Valencia Hills Community Church.
“You’re Not Alone” is a two-week care group that gives resources and a place to not feel alone in the grieving process.
“We really need to do something extra for them and care for them,” said Broyles. “How do we care for people, when they feel like they’re drowning?”
Broyles said that from his experiences, many who have lost friends and family to suicide receive the most amount of support in the first two months following after.
The food deliveries start to die down, help begins to dwindle and soon they are met to face their reality.
“I’ve actually had people say three months is worse than the first one,” said Broyles.
Broyles said that those who are grieving experience people shying away from talking about their lost one.
“What happens when someone is grieving is they still need to really talk about the person who died,” said Broyles.
“You’re Not Alone” is a resource people can use to work through their grief with others who are experiencing the same as them. The care group is scheduled to meet on Feb. 22 and March 1 at 7 p.m.
To learn more and register, visit bit.ly/3xu15Gz.
