Bereavement Ministry Certificate Course at Cliff College, 17-21 June 2019
Led by Rev Yvonne Richmond Tulloch & team from At A Loss
Feedback report from Judith, Oundle Road Baptist Church who attended the course ( part funded from EMBA Home Mission)
Thank you for helping to fund me to attend this course. It was excellent & I would heartily recommend it to anyone with a desire to improve our support for the people, in our community, who are facing bereavement or end of life or have been bereaved.
Who
We were a diverse mix of 30 individuals from across the UK. Although all were Christians, not all were working in churches. There were church ministers & leaders, retired people, youth workers, social workers, counsellors, decorators, nurses, funeral directors, independent celebrants, teachers; those working in immigration centres, schools, hospices, hospitals, local authorities etc. Including both volunteers & paid workers. Some had many years’ experience of working with bereaved people, some just starting to explore this area of ministry. Most had experienced significant bereavement & loss, others were just trying to help those they found themselves amongst.
What
We covered a lot of ground, enjoyed lots of interaction and did some practical exercises & skill development. The teaching was 9am-5pm with optional evening sessions. There were four course leaders plus input from Cliff College staff. The teaching was designed to encourage us to mix & work with as many others as possible, to benefit from one another’s insights & experience. There was a wide range of resources on display for us to browse & have a look at.
Where
Cliff College itself is a fabulous place. The facilities all excellent, helpful staff, comfortable en suite bed rooms, good food, beautiful grounds & surrounding countryside. Daily chapel service. Each day we were introduced to others using the college, and could chat with them in breaks & at meals. They included, ministerial trainees, those doing degree/masters courses, church planters, people on other short courses and study days etc.
Why?
I went to Cliff College to learn & with a desire for us to develop a range of services for those facing end of life, bereavement or who have been bereaved, in collaboration with the other churches in Oundle. This is a big challenge. I now feel better equipped to begin to draw together a team to work together and take some practical steps to begin to help us become more bereavement friendly as churches, and as a wider community.
What next?
I will discuss with my minister some suggestions for how to start this and will then feed this through to the Deacons for comment. In addition, I have an essay to write & submit to the course leaders
Thanks again for the opportunity. I appreciate it very much.
Judith Brashaw
June 2019
Students & course tutors from the 2019 Cliff College Certificate Course in Bereavement Ministry. The course was led by Rev Yvonne Richmond Tulloch, Roger Womack, Cathy Shepherd & Pete English who are all part of the At A Loss team, with input from Ian White who is part of the staff team at Cliff College.