Our church serves as the liaison for WELS members stationed at TRACEN Petaluma, the Coast Guard’s largest West Coast Training Center.

We also work with WELS Military Services to provide support to all service members stationed at TRACEN Petaluma in a variety of ways, including devotional booklets and Spiritual Development (SDK) Kits.

No matter what the circumstances, grief is a painful process. Our church has partnered with GriefShare to offer a 13-week grief and loss support group.

GriefShare is a safe, welcoming place where people understand the difficult emotions of grief. Over 13 weeks, you’ll find relief and comfort as you learn what to expect in the days ahead and how to navigate your personal grief process. Since there are no neat, orderly stages of grief, you’ll learn helpful ways of coping with grief, in all its unpredictability—and gain solid support each step of the way.

At a weekly GriefShare meeting, group participants will view a video featuring respected counselors, teachers, and healthcare professionals on grief-related topics. After that is a small-group discussion to allow people a time of sharing, support, and personal application of what they learned on the video.

Group participants will receive a book to take home filled with valuable exercises for navigating their personal grieving process.

Topics include how to manage grief-related emotions such as loneliness, anxiety, sadness, anger, and regret; how to cope with the changes in your life and relationships; how to recognize what’s normal in grief; and what to do if you feel stuck or hopeless.

Our next GriefShare grief support group is starting soon.  Please join us on Thursdays, from 1-3pm, September 5 – December 5, 2024 at Living Word Lutheran Church (901 Ely Blvd S. Petaluma, CA 94954).