Our bereavement ministry is a crucial part of Hope Foundation. When death touches one of our families, we want to be prepared. There are a few things to remember during the grieving process.

At Hope Foundation, we are constantly planning unique ways to offer hope to every child, but we can’t fully plan for an unexpected death.

We understand that  families will be hurting, sometimes even crushed by their loss.

It will always be a challenge no matter how long we minister to those who have lost children.

Following a death there are a few things we seek to offer during the grieving process.

We seek to offer Presence

Phone calls and texts have their place, but Hope Foundation will strive to offer a physical presence through a representative of our organization.

We seek to offer Scriptural Direction

The Bible is full of beautiful promises that can comfort the grieving. It is our responsibility as Hope Foundation representatives to point the grieving to relevant passages. One such passage is 2 Corinthians 1:3-4: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”

Other passages include Psalm 46, Matthew 5:4, John 16:33, and 1 Peter 5:7. It is always helpful to memorize scripture that pertains to bereavement ministry. As a Hope Foundation representative, we want to show up prepared.

Sometimes we don’t know what to say, but God’s Word is powerful (Hebrews 4:12). It will minister to the bereaved in ways we cannot comprehend.

We seek to offer Christ

Sometimes we take for granted that Jesus entered into our humanity, even our grief and suffering. The Bible describes Jesus as “a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3). When Lazarus died, Jesus could have intervened to spare the family from their deep grief. Instead, Jesus delayed his visit by a couple of days, and when he arrived, He empathized with Mary and Martha. Scripture tells us that “Jesus wept” (John 11:35) before raising Lazarus.

Jesus is a kind and merciful Savior. Reminding the family that Jesus knows exactly what they are going through (Hebrews 4:15) can be encouraging. Christ suffered, bled, and died for all of His people, and now he lives to intercede for them (Romans 8:35, Hebrews 7:25).

We seek to offer Prayer 

One of the most important things we can do is pray. Certainly, prayer before and after a visit is critical, but our prayers during a visit are also important. It doesn’t have to be long. Our prayers should be one of comfort and hope that points the family to Jesus and the gospel. It should serve as another reminder that God is near amid their pain and that He is the God of all peace and comfort.

We seek to offer Effective Resources

Hope Foundation offers a nice brochure that speaks truth to grieving families. We also have recorded a song that offers the message of giving glory to God, even in the most difficult of times, but we shouldn’t be too quick to hand the grieving these resources as they often feel paralyzed and unable to do much of anything.

The last thing we want to do is to seem cold and insensitive. However, it is often appropriate to point them to helpful, gospel-rich resources, after the family makes it through the initial trauma.

We seek to offer a Plan

There are undoubtedly people in our organization who can empathize and care for the bereaved in meaningful ways. We want to do all we can to encourage those interactions. Practical support, like providing meals and transportation for the bereaved family, can prove invaluable whenever it is available.

Within the Hope Foundation organization, we want to strive to create a culture of care where the Body of Christ can be deployed. Those deep in grief need the ministry of bereavement to help them cope and move forward in a positive way.

Hope Foundation wants to follow up with all the families that suffer the loss of a child. We feel that offering an initial burst of support without maintaining contact over the long haul falls short of our biblical calling. We also understand that sometimes the hardest seasons of grief are not the weeks that follow but the months. We want to be there for them as much as we can. We want to remind them that they will make it through by the grace and sustaining power of our Lord and Savior, Jesus.

We want to remind them of the truth found in Psalm 30:5: “Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning”.