FBC Burnet to host Care Nights

By Savanna Gregg
Staff Writer

When faced with the death of a loved one, divorce, or single parenting, everyone pushes through the grief and struggles in a different way. Many people need support and guidance when faced with difficulties in their lives, and Care Nights at First Baptist Church Burnet are designed to help these individuals cope in their own ways, with the support and guidance of caring individuals.

FBC Burnet will host the spring sessions of GriefShare, DivorceCare, DivorceCare4Kids (DC4K), and Single & Parenting programs Tuesdays, starting Feb. 5 and continuing through April 30.

The four seminars are designed to guide participants in coping with the effects of divorce, single parenting, and grief through informational videos, group discussions, and personal workbook exercises which cover the week's topics.

All courses are led by individuals who have experienced grief, divorce, and single parenting, found ways to cope, and wish to pass on their stories and inspiration to other participants.

GriefShare is a nondenominational program which features topics covered through Biblical references designed to give participants an understanding of what they are going through, and assist them in working through it.

DC4K is designed for children ages five through 12 who have a parent or guardian participating in DivorceCare. Both programs cover the same content on parallel schedules, allowing parents and children to progress together, at their own level of understanding.

The Single & Parenting program is designed to assure single parents they are doing the best they can for their children while finding peace in their own lives.

“All four programs are fantastic,” said FBC Burnet member and Griefshare facilitator George Harrivel. “They were established by an organization called Church Initiative and they have done tremendous research.

“These people have gone through all of these situations and once they worked through it, they began studying it deeper and have become experts; it is a fantastic support organization for our church.”

Harrivel and his late wife, Elane, worked as facilitators for the GriefShare program, and until Elane passed away in 2017, he had not experienced the healing effects of the program despite the trust and relationships he built with participants.

Harrivel was encouraged to try a GriefShare seminar at another church to separate himself from his obligations as a facilitator at his own church, and came back with a better understanding of his grief.

“Before, I just tried to understand others' grief, but then I found out how it really felt,” Harrivel said.

Harrivel spoke of his own experience and that of other participants, expressing how different it is for each individual present.

“We had one lady attend GriefShare in 2017 after she lost her son in an accident, and she couldn't even say her name without crying at the first seminar,” Harrivel said. “By the 12^th week of the 13-week course, she was able to tell a funny story about her son and laugh. She is now a facilitator for the GriefShare program; she decided she wanted to help other people get through their grief as she did.”

Special bonds are built between participants and facilitators of the seminars, as they are all going through the same issues.

Harrivel stated that though they are all there for the same reason, each individuals' grieving process is different. Because of this, the programs are designed to cover a different aspect of grief, divorce, and single parenting at each seminar, and guests are welcome to join at anytime throughout the 13-week course.

“Grief affects every relationship, personality, and individual differently, and there is no right or wrong way,” Harrivel said. “For that reason, we encourage people to start whenever they are ready; if they start near the end, they are welcome to repeat the program to experience what was taught in the beginning of the course.”

All programs will take place 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Feb. 5 through April 30, at FBC Burnet, 108 S. Vanderveer Street. DivorceCare, GriefShare, and Single & Parenting have a fee of $20 to cover cost of the workbook used throughout the course. Scholarships are available. DC4K is free of charge. GriefShare is also offered 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. same days.

Childcare is available on Care nights for nursery through age five. For more information on the Care programs, to register, or request childcare, call George Harrivel at FBC Burnet, 512-756-4481, or email him at george@fbcburnet.org.