Media Center / Subject Guides / Grief & Loss Subject Guide

Grief & Loss Subject Guide

Last Updated: July 16, 2012

Purpose: This guide is a comprehensive list of our resources concerned with loss, death, and grief from a Christian perspective.

This guide may also be printed and given to your church leaders or any other church members interested in borrowing resources from the NCCUMC Media Center. Download the PDF to print this guide.

Subjects and Keywords

Search for these subjects or keywords in the Media Center catalog:

Subjects

Death and Dying
Grief, Loss, and Recovery

Keywords

Death
Grief

Electronic Resource Keywords

Click on these words at http://nccumc.org/mediacenter/electronic-resources/ to find electronic resources related to this subject.

Death
Loss

Video Resources

DVD75 Nooma: Matthew

“Suffering the loss of someone we love can be the most difficult thing in life to deal with…What might help us, is to understand how Jesus dealt with this kind of loss.”

DVD160 Fierce Goodbye: Living in the Shadow of Suicide

“This video, hosted by Judy Collins, herself a survivor, recounts the stories of the people impacted by suicide and the pain they endured in their effort to come to terms with their loved one’s death. The documentary explores Protestant, Catholic, Jewish and Greek Orthodox responses to suicide and shows how the church can be a healing station in helping those left behind find their way to recovery”. DVD includes additional resource material. Study Guide included.

DVD179 How Do I Go On?

Subtitled: Re-designing Your Future After Crisis Has Changed Your Life. A five step process to help one understand and assimilate a life-altering experience. Those steps include feel, explore, let go, embrace, and then live. For group discussion and individual study.

DVD255 Questions of Faith II
Who Is Jesus? What’s the Use of the Bible? Who’s Got the Truth? How Do We Right the Wrong? What Gives You Faith? What Happens After Death? Each 20 minute session is set up to stimulate discussion on these topic within small groups. Guidelines included.

DVD415 Nooma: Whirlwind

“A lot of us have gone through times in our lives that are difficult. Some have been small and hard to understand and some have been big and overwhelming. During these times we want answers, don’t we? We want to know why. Why do we have to suffer? Why do bad things happen to good people? We just want someone to make sense of it all. But we don’t always get the answers, do we? Sometimes we are left wondering. And those can be some of the most difficult times. Maybe there are times we need to be released from having to have all the answers. And maybe it’s when we’re released that we are able see there may be more going on here than we realize.” Leader’s guide included. Nooma #24.

DVD508 Through a Lens Darkly: Grief, Loss and C. S. Lewis

Through a Lens Darkly: Grief, Loss and C.S. Lewis will uplift the soul with moving stories of individuals and families touched by significant loss who have begun their journey to recovery, and who share their thoughts on the timeless wisdom of C.S. Lewis’s most personal and reflective book, A Grief Observed. This literary review offers real-life examples to help viewers begin to recognize and cope with the many emotions and seasons of their own grief and identify the best approaches to help others through the grieving process.

DVD522 Heaven is for Real DVD Conversation Kit

The best-selling book about heaven that has changed the world is now a DVD-based curriculum for churches and small groups. In addition to learning more about what the Bible teaches about heaven, groups will hear first-hand from the Burpo family about Colton’s experience in heaven and the way it has changed their lives. The Participant’s Guide will take group members through key Bible passages about heaven, helping them understand more about who goes to heaven, when they go there, and what heaven is like. The DVD includes 5 (10- to 18-minute) video sessions featuring Todd, Sonja, and Colton answering frequently asked questions about heaven and their experiences, as well as a special message of hope from Sonja to women who have experienced miscarriages.

DVD529 Faith Lessons 12: Walking with God in the Desert

Are you going through a difficult period of life? The loss of a loved one? Unemployment? A crisis of faith? During these desert times, it’s easy to think God has disappeared. In this study, discover that it’s only when we are totally dependent on him that we find God is closer than ever. Filmed on location at biblically significant sites. Seven sessions include: Join the Journey, It’s Not Here and There’s No Way Out, Help is Here, When Your Heart Cries Out, They Were Not Wandering, Ears to Hear, There’s Hope in the Desert. Includes Discovery Guide.

DVD538 Ed’s Story: A Film Series about Hope 1-3

This set contains the first three films in the Ed’s Story series. 1 IT AIN’T OVER: Diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease), Ed Dobson was given two to five years to live … over ten years ago. In this film, he reminds us that while difficult news can sometimes make us feel as if life is over, it isn’t. 2 CONSIDER THE BIRDS: Tomorrow is not guaranteed … for any of us. When we worry about tomorrow, we often miss out on the beauty, richness, and fulfillment of today. Could living for today be what’s best for us, and could it even free us from the worries of tomorrow? 3 BE THERE: When those close to us suffer, it’s only natural to want to help. But what do you say when someone’s life falls apart and suffering becomes their reality? How can you show you care? Perhaps just being present can bring more comfort, peace, and a sense of God’s presence than words ever could. View a preview at http://flannel.org/products/eds-story-1-3.

DVD539 Ed’s Story: A Film Series about Hope 4-5

This set contains the fourth and fifth films in the Ed’s Story series. 4 MY GARDEN: There is much more to who we are than what we do. 5 ASK FORGIVENESS: Could the power of forgiveness lead to a better world around us? View a preview at: http://flannel.org/products/eds-story-4-5.

DVD540 Broken to Peace

Broken to Peace is an inspirational new DVD series designed for group study that features people sharing the compelling real-life stories that brought them to their knees. Includes six sessions: Job Loss, Depression, Addiction, Cancer, Losing a Child, Physical Abuse. A downloadable leader’s guide and promotional resources are included. View a preview at: http://secure.umcom.org/Store/broken-to-peace.

DVD571 Beyond Death’s Door
This video provides firsthand understanding of the grief journey through interviews with expert grief counselors and personal testimonies by people who have experienced the death of someone close to them.

KIT48 God, why? Teachings from the Tsunamis

A two-session small group study DVD and CD providing resources to help Christians better understand God’s activity in the midst of natural disasters, produced by United Methodist Communications: “Using the South Asia tsunamis as an anchor, practical-yet spiritual answers and provided to help us address our confusion.”

KIT72 Living Fully, Dying Well
Either stand alone or as a group the session in this resource by Rueben Job helps participants plan for the future while living in the moment. Topics include biblical and social perspectives on growing older, practical and legal decisions important to everyone, what it means to die well, and how to live more fully. Kit consists of a teaching guide, a participant’s book, and a DVD with an opening for each session.

Resource codes that begin with VC are on VHS tape and require a VCR.

VC483 Great Stories of Faith: 5 Facing Death

“Even Jesus died, though death did not win. How does the fact of death affect our living?”

VC501 Growing Through Grief: Personal Healing

A six-part program for participants who want to help others or themselves find healing and growth from a painful grief or loss experience. For use as a series or individually.

VC526 Healing Our Grief with Laughter and Tears

This 8-part series features Dr. Annette Goodheart showing viewers how to work on healing grief with the natural powers of laughter and tears. May be used individually or as a series. Leaders’ guidelines included.

VC563 Invincible Summer: Returning to Life After Someone

Returning to life after someone you love has died is a hard task. A life-affirming meditation filled with comforting wisdom, accented by inspiring photography. For use with groups or individuals.

VC1303 At Death’s Door: Facing the Terminal Illness of a Loved One

“This video gives excellent insight on living life to the fullest with your dying loved one.” For use in a group or for use by an individual. A booklet with support guidelines is included.

VC1527 Service of Hope and Light: Lee County

A memorial community-wide Worship service held at St. Luke’s UMC in Sanford. The purpose of the event was to mourn the recent deaths of area teens from car accidents. This time of shared grief and healing was held in February of 2001.

VC1636 Journey Through the Shadows: Hope for Healing After Someone You Love Has Committed Suicide

A resource for individual study, featuring Iris Bolton, director of the Link Counseling Center in Atlanta and Stephanie Weber, Director of Suicide prevention services. This video discusses the questions asked and offers grief survival helps for those who have lost a loved one to suicide. Comes with small resource guide.

VC1637 Light Amongst the Shadows: How to Help Those You Care For When Suicide Occurs

A resource for those who want to learn how to help and how to show we care when a family experiences suicide. Featuring Iris Bolton, director of the Link Counseling Center in Atlanta and Stephanie Weber, Director of Suicide prevention services. Also excellent for training in this area: for Pastors, nurture committees, Stephen ministries. Comes with small resource guide.

VC1639 Whole and Forgiven: A Bible Study with Walter Wink

A six-part exploration of healing and wholeness centered on six biblical stories. Each of the six videos is between 27-33 minutes in length and is applicable for ages 16 and up. They can be used in sessions from 45 minutes to two hours, easily led by a facilitator.

Books

BK57 I Was Sick and You Visited Me: Guide to Visitation Ministry
A booklet to be used as a guide for visitation ministries giving short and helpful advice on what to do under a variety of situations when visiting in faith to those in need.

BK166 Learning to Re-design Your Future After Crisis Has Struck: Small Group Experience
Guide for facilitators of small groups dealing in recovery.

BK167 Learning to Manage Your Grief: Small Group Experience
A guide book by Dr. James E. Miller for the use of facilitators of small groups dealing with loss or grief issues. Six sessions of meetings are outlined. A bibliography of books available is listed. The guidebook may be used alone or as a resource with the use of the video Invincible Summer, also available from the Media Center.

BK329 Building a Ministry for Homebound and Nursing-Home Residents
A practical guide for individuals and local church groups that are beginning the process of implementing a visitation program. Issues facing the aging, suggestions for worship in this setting, grief guidance and volunteer training are all covered in this little book.

BK338 Senior Spirituality: Awakening Your Spiritual Potential
“Nelson seeks to help the reader develop inner resources that will provide power and courage to face and walk through the varied passages of life, including adversity, loss, grief and even transformation through death and afterlife.”

BK446 Changing Places: A Christian’s Guide to Caring for Aging Parents
Resources in a concise workbook/worksheet format for “organizing the care-giving process, selecting the housing option that is appropriate for your loved one, running a household with 3 generations under one roof, coping with emotional challenges, and nurturing yourself spiritually in the midst of difficult times.”

BK567 Final Gifts: Understanding the Special Awareness, Needs, and Communications of the Dying

A meaningful and insightful book by experienced Hospice nurses. Helping the reader gain new appreciation for the “leave taking process” and to discover the gifts of wisdom, faith and love that the dying leave for us to share.”

BK646 Journeying through Grief
A set of four books for grieving persons at four crucial times during the first year after a loss: Book 1: A Time to Grieve – 3 weeks after the loss, Book 2: Experiencing Grief – 3 months after the loss, Book 3: Finding Hope and Healing – 6 months after the loss, Book 4: Rebuilding and Remembering – 11 months after the loss. The four books are each 44 pages long with short, easy-to-read chapters, written in a caring, friendly, personal style. The books blend solid information about the grief process, Biblical truths, and stories, and the pages are interspersed with Bible passages, poems, and quotes about grief. Each book helps the reader better understand what he or she is experiencing and provides hope and encouragement for the journey. A Giver’s Guide (also included) provides suggestions for using the Journeying through Grief books.

BK729 Angel Unaware
Entertainers Roy and Dale Evans Rogers were thrilled when their little daughter Robin was born. But their excitement turned to concern when they were informed that Robin was born with Down’s Syndrome and advised to “put her away.” The Rogers ignored such talk and instead kept Robin, and she graced their home for two and a half years. Though Robin’s time on earth was short, she changed her parents’ lives and even made life better for other children born with special needs in the years to come. Angel Unaware is Robin’s account of her life as she looks down from heaven. As she speaks to God about the mission of love she just completed on earth, the reader sees how she brought her parents closer to God and encouraged them to help other children in need. This book, which changed the way America treated children with special needs, is now available to a new generation. It is the perfect gift for parents of special needs children, parents grieving the death of a child, or anyone whose life has been touched by a special child.

BK850 Good Grief: 50th Anniversary Edition
Many people experience grief as the result of loss. This book describes what happens to us whenever we lose someone or something important. We all need a better understanding of the small grief in life as well as those larger grief experiences that can overwhelm us. Here is a volume to be kept close at hand. It can be used over the years as you encounter a wide variety of grief experiences or as you assist friends in moving beyond grief to good grief.

Youth Books

BK173 Youth Search: Death
Deals with the range of emotions that accompany death. Explores ways our faith helps us understand death. Six sessions.

Children’s Video Resources

DVD230 God’s Trombones: A Trilogy of African American Poems
A collection of 3 poems from James Weldon Johnson’s book. The Creation, narrated by James Earl Jones, and The Prodigal Son and Go Down Death narrated by Dorian Harewood. Claymation type animation.

DVD287 Helping Children Grieve

Helpful information for adults on how to help children of all ages grieve. Topics include: the differences between how adults and children grieve, how a parent can grieve while still helping a child, three common feeling expressed, and how to tell children the truth about death. A leader’s is included for follow-up on the topics presented.

DVD578 A Place Prepared

A Place Prepared will help you talk with children about death and heaven, and help you to prepare them for the inevitable losses that they will experience throughout their lives. Four segments: Being honest with ourselves, as adults, about death; Understanding death and children’s emotional response to it; Talking with children about funerals; Talking with children about heaven. Discussion guide included.

Resource codes that begin with VC are on VHS tape and require a VCR.

VC1031 The Fall of Freddie the Leaf
This allegory told by Leo Buscaglia helps us consider the question: “Why do we have to die?” It is a message of comfort, with beautiful photography and narrations, about change and the passing of time.