God’s heart for the grieving
By Tracey Ware, Bethel Funerals | Wycliffe Today Christmas 2023 |
If I asked you to name groups you see as ‘marginalised’ in today’s world, who would make it onto your list? Refugees fleeing a war-torn country? People living in a drought-ravaged country? Children unable to attain basic education?
I wonder how many of us would have written down those experiencing grief and loss. Yet for our team at Bethel Funerals, we know it to be true that grieving people at times feel marginalised. Grief and loss are something we all experience at different times but that does not reduce death’s sting. When the death of a loved one occurs, families often experience feelings of isolation, fear and hopelessness. They are thrown into an unknown world, faced with many decisions and often feel on the ‘margins’.
Bethel Funerals was established in 1997 by Wycliffe Australia’s Word Investments to make money for missions and minister to grieving people. Bethel Funerals continues to live out this goal, offering Christlike care to grieving families. We seek to communicate to the grieving that they are not alone, that God sees them and cares about them. Yet I would like to suggest that we ALL have a role to play in helping those experiencing grief and loss feel less isolated.
How? Here are a few practical suggestions:
- SAY SOMETHING. It’s okay to say ‘I don’t know what to say but I am here and I care about you.’ We don’t have to have all the answers!
-
- ACKNOWLEDGE their loss. You can say things such as, ‘Sorry for your loss. I am thinking of you, I am here if you want to talk.’
- PRAY with them or for them, if appropriate.
- SIT in silence with them. Being with someone is a powerful antidote to feeling isolated and on the periphery.
- DON’T MINIMISE the pain or loss with statements such as, ‘they lived a good life’, ‘they’ve gone to a better place’ or ‘they are at peace now.’ These things may all be true but they do not help.
- NAME the person who has died. Those grieving love to hear others speak the name of their loved one, as it acknowledges that they aren’t forgotten.
The next time you know someone who has lost a loved one, remember that you can play a role in expressing God’s heart for them in the midst of their grief.
Tracey Ware works with Bethel Funerals in the area of Community Engagement.
Bethel Funerals is a not-for-profit Christian funeral company which to date has given away $5.71m. Wycliffe Australia is a key beneficiary of these funds. For more information about Bethel, go to https://www.bethelfunerals.com.au/.
Housing, goats and hiring: the story of Bethel Funerals
How to raise enough money to retain Wycliffe’s valued Australia-based members has long been on David Cummings’ mind. Unlike other agencies, crucial home-based staff such as administrators, mobilisers and trainers are not paid a salary, instead relying on faith support.
‘Our home staff need support just like anyone out on the field, but find it difficult,’ the former Wycliffe chief executive said.
It was a problem he and Wycliffe’s Word Investment committee were determined to solve, leading them on a journey from bricks and mortar to goats, and eventually, funerals.
The first step was the creation of Word Investment Limited (WIL), enabling people to invest in ethical ventures with the interest going to Wycliffe and other causes. But an early investment in house building in Geelong, Victoria hit turbulence when a downturn in the local automotive industry made for unreliable returns.
WIL moved on to goat farming, then a hiring business, while David pondered how to best use limited resources to create income for mission.
‘I realised that through Word Investment, we could start our own business, moving on from stocks and shares to something that would help others while helping the mission,’ he said.
He remembered a friend’s family had successfully run a business for decades in a stable industry with consistent demand: funerals.
After much prayer, research and the generous guidance from that friend, Trevor Adams, (now Chairman of Word Investments) David took his idea of starting a Christian funeral company to WIL and Wycliffe leadership.
‘They had some reservations at first, but a key investor said “go for it” and they did,’ he said.
‘We wanted to run the business the right way, with integrity, and set clear goals: to make money for mission and minister to grieving people.’
Almost thirty years on, the not-for-profit company they created, Bethel Funerals, has contributed more than $6 million to missions, and to Wycliffe in particular. The service enables families to contribute to missions in a unique way, and is a wonderful opportunity for people to leave a legacy as they depart from this life.
‘It makes my heart rejoice how this has worked out, and how Bethel has a wonderful ministry,’ David said.
‘I love too that we have this testimony of how God was in it from the start, from gathering the key people we needed through to providing the material things.’
For more information visit www.bethelfunerals.com.au
This story is from Wycliffe Today – April 2017
Information updated July 2025
About the Author: Louise Bettison. Louise is a Perth journalist spurred on by having witnessed the impact of people being able to access and understand God’s word.
Thanks for your patience...