Ages 5-14 · Book 6, Faith · 4,299 places
Kids' Grief and Loss Ministry
A gentle unit for children carrying a loss. It does not explain the loss and it does not rush them. It gives them a story where the hard part is not skipped over.
Built on Ellis Abel and the Disciple — “Difference isn't weakness. It's a gift.” The story carries the value; your church supplies the doctrine.
The five sessions
- Session 1
Audit the room first: entrances, noise, lighting, exits, seating
- Session 2
Meet the family and ask what a good hour looks like for their child
- Session 3
Match one trained volunteer to one child, and keep the pairing
- Session 4
Run the session with the story, and let participation look different
- Session 5
Debrief with the family the same day, not at the end of the term
Questions leaders ask
Does kids' grief and loss ministry in your area teach a particular denomination?
No. Ellis Abel is a character series built on named values — belonging, courage, accountability, self-mastery, empathy and faith. Book six treats faith as the choice to move forward while it is still hard. The story carries the value; your church supplies the doctrine. That is why the same material is used across traditions.
What ages does this work for?
Ages 5-14. The story is read aloud, so a child who cannot read yet is still fully in it, and the discussion questions are written in two bands so one leader can hold a mixed-age room.
Our your area church has never run this and does not know where to start.
Start with one child and one trained volunteer, not with a program. Ask that family what a good hour looks like, build that hour, and let the second family hear about it from the first.
What if a child cannot participate the way the session expects?
Then the session is wrong, not the child. Participation is allowed to look different — listening from the doorway is participation, and so is leaving early.
The rules that make it work
The story carries the value, the church supplies the doctrine
Ellis Abel is a character series. It teaches faith as perseverance and stops where doctrine begins, so a parish, a Baptist club and a co-op can all run it beside their own teaching.
Difference isn't weakness
The line on the cover of book six is the operating policy, not a slogan. A child whose participation looks different is participating.
Faith is a decision, not a mood
Children are told to feel confident and cannot make themselves. They can decide to take one more step, and that is teachable, repeatable and honest.
Volunteers are the constraint
Every session is written for an adult who was handed it the night before. Questions written out, timing in the margin, and a note for when nobody answers.
Nobody is diagnosed, labelled or fixed here
This is character material, not a clinical or counselling service. Leaders share what they did and what happened. They do not assess children.
One step, said out loud, followed up by name
A value a child cannot attach to an action they took is a word they memorised. The follow-up the next week is what turns it into something they own.
Grief and Loss by metro area
Northeast
- Grief and Loss — New York, NY
- Grief and Loss — Philadelphia, PA
- Grief and Loss — Boston, MA
- Grief and Loss — Pittsburgh, PA
- Grief and Loss — Providence, RI
- Grief and Loss — Hartford, CT
- Grief and Loss — Buffalo, NY
- Grief and Loss — Rochester, NY
- Grief and Loss — Bridgeport, CT
- Grief and Loss — Albany, NY
- Grief and Loss — Worcester, MA
- Grief and Loss — Allentown, PA
- Grief and Loss — Poughkeepsie, NY
- Grief and Loss — Syracuse, NY
- Grief and Loss — Harrisburg, PA
- Grief and Loss — New Haven, CT
- Grief and Loss — Portland, ME
- Grief and Loss — Scranton, PA
- Grief and Loss — Lancaster, PA
- Grief and Loss — York, PA
- Grief and Loss — Springfield, MA
- Grief and Loss — Waterbury, CT
- Grief and Loss — Reading, PA
- Grief and Loss — Manchester, NH
- Grief and Loss — Trenton, NJ
- Grief and Loss — Atlantic City, NJ
- Grief and Loss — Utica, NY
- Grief and Loss — Norwich, CT
- Grief and Loss — Erie, PA
- Grief and Loss — Binghamton, NY
- Grief and Loss — Barnstable, MA
- Grief and Loss — Burlington, VT
- Grief and Loss — Kingston, NY
- Grief and Loss — Amherst, MA
- Grief and Loss — Chambersburg, PA
- Grief and Loss — Bangor, ME
- Grief and Loss — State College, PA
- Grief and Loss — Vineland, NJ
- Grief and Loss — Lebanon, PA
- Grief and Loss — Johnstown, PA
- Grief and Loss — Pittsfield, MA
- Grief and Loss — Glens Falls, NY
- Grief and Loss — Altoona, PA
- Grief and Loss — Lewiston, ME
- Grief and Loss — Williamsport, PA
- Grief and Loss — Watertown, NY
- Grief and Loss — Gettysburg, PA
- Grief and Loss — Ithaca, NY
- Grief and Loss — Elmira, NY
Midwest
- Grief and Loss — Chicago, IL
- Grief and Loss — Detroit, MI
- Grief and Loss — Minneapolis, MN
- Grief and Loss — St. Louis, MO
- Grief and Loss — Cincinnati, OH
- Grief and Loss — Kansas City, MO
- Grief and Loss — Columbus, OH
- Grief and Loss — Indianapolis, IN
- Grief and Loss — Cleveland, OH
- Grief and Loss — Milwaukee, WI
- Grief and Loss — Grand Rapids, MI
- Grief and Loss — Omaha, NE
- Grief and Loss — Dayton, OH
- Grief and Loss — Des Moines, IA
- Grief and Loss — Madison, WI
- Grief and Loss — Akron, OH
- Grief and Loss — Wichita, KS
- Grief and Loss — Toledo, OH
- Grief and Loss — Springfield, MO
- Grief and Loss — Lansing, MI
- Grief and Loss — Fort Wayne, IN
- Grief and Loss — Youngstown, OH
- Grief and Loss — Flint, MI
- Grief and Loss — Canton, OH
- Grief and Loss — Davenport, IA
- Grief and Loss — Ann Arbor, MI
- Grief and Loss — Peoria, IL
- Grief and Loss — Lincoln, NE
- Grief and Loss — Rockford, IL
- Grief and Loss — Green Bay, WI
- Grief and Loss — South Bend, IN
- Grief and Loss — Sioux Falls, SD
- Grief and Loss — Duluth, MN
- Grief and Loss — Cedar Rapids, IA
- Grief and Loss — Evansville, IN
- Grief and Loss — Fargo, ND
- Grief and Loss — Kalamazoo, MI
- Grief and Loss — Appleton, WI
- Grief and Loss — Champaign, IL
- Grief and Loss — Topeka, KS
- Grief and Loss — Rochester, MN
- Grief and Loss — Lafayette, IN
- Grief and Loss — Columbia, MO
- Grief and Loss — Joplin, MO
- Grief and Loss — Elkhart, IN
- Grief and Loss — Springfield, IL
- Grief and Loss — St. Cloud, MN
- Grief and Loss — Racine, WI
- Grief and Loss — Saginaw, MI
- Grief and Loss — Iowa City, IA
- Grief and Loss — Muskegon, MI
- Grief and Loss — Eau Claire, WI
- Grief and Loss — Oshkosh, WI
- Grief and Loss — Bloomington, IL
- Grief and Loss — La Crosse, WI
- Grief and Loss — Terre Haute, IN
- Grief and Loss — Waterloo, IA
- Grief and Loss — Kenosha, WI
- Grief and Loss — Janesville, WI
- Grief and Loss — Bloomington, IN
- Grief and Loss — Jackson, MI
- Grief and Loss — Traverse City, MI
- Grief and Loss — Rapid City, SD
- Grief and Loss — Monroe, MI
- Grief and Loss — Jefferson City, MO
- Grief and Loss — Niles, MI
- Grief and Loss — Sioux City, IA
- Grief and Loss — Bismarck, ND
- Grief and Loss — Wausau, WI
- Grief and Loss — Manhattan, KS
- Grief and Loss — Springfield, OH
- Grief and Loss — Battle Creek, MI
- Grief and Loss — Ames, IA
- Grief and Loss — Mansfield, OH
- Grief and Loss — Lawrence, KS
- Grief and Loss — St. Joseph, MO
- Grief and Loss — Sheboygan, WI
- Grief and Loss — Muncie, IN
- Grief and Loss — Sandusky, OH
- Grief and Loss — Michigan City, IN
- Grief and Loss — Kankakee, IL
- Grief and Loss — Grand Forks, ND
- Grief and Loss — Mankato, MN
- Grief and Loss — Fond du Lac, WI
- Grief and Loss — Bay City, MI
- Grief and Loss — Lima, OH
- Grief and Loss — Dubuque, IA
- Grief and Loss — Decatur, IL
- Grief and Loss — Cape Girardeau, MO
- Grief and Loss — Columbus, IN
- Grief and Loss — Kokomo, IN
- Grief and Loss — Midland, MI
- Grief and Loss — Grand Island, NE
- Grief and Loss — Minot, ND
South
- Grief and Loss — Dallas, TX
- Grief and Loss — Houston, TX
- Grief and Loss — Atlanta, GA
- Grief and Loss — Washington, DC
- Grief and Loss — Miami, FL
- Grief and Loss — Tampa, FL
- Grief and Loss — Orlando, FL
- Grief and Loss — Charlotte, NC
- Grief and Loss — Baltimore, MD
- Grief and Loss — San Antonio, TX
- Grief and Loss — Austin, TX
- Grief and Loss — Nashville, TN
- Grief and Loss — Virginia Beach, VA
- Grief and Loss — Jacksonville, FL
- Grief and Loss — Raleigh, NC
- Grief and Loss — Oklahoma City, OK
- Grief and Loss — Louisville, KY
- Grief and Loss — Richmond, VA
- Grief and Loss — Memphis, TN
- Grief and Loss — Birmingham, AL
- Grief and Loss — Tulsa, OK
- Grief and Loss — Greenville, SC
- Grief and Loss — New Orleans, LA
- Grief and Loss — Knoxville, TN
- Grief and Loss — Sarasota, FL
- Grief and Loss — McAllen, TX
- Grief and Loss — Charleston, SC
- Grief and Loss — Baton Rouge, LA
- Grief and Loss — El Paso, TX
- Grief and Loss — Columbia, SC
- Grief and Loss — Cape Coral, FL
- Grief and Loss — Lakeland, FL
- Grief and Loss — Greensboro, NC
- Grief and Loss — Little Rock, AR
- Grief and Loss — Deltona, FL
- Grief and Loss — Winston-Salem, NC
- Grief and Loss — Palm Bay, FL
- Grief and Loss — Augusta, GA
- Grief and Loss — Durham, NC
- Grief and Loss — Fayetteville, AR
- Grief and Loss — Jackson, MS
- Grief and Loss — Chattanooga, TN
- Grief and Loss — Port St. Lucie, FL
- Grief and Loss — Huntsville, AL
- Grief and Loss — Pensacola, FL
- Grief and Loss — Lexington, KY
- Grief and Loss — Killeen, TX
- Grief and Loss — Wilmington, NC
- Grief and Loss — Corpus Christi, TX
- Grief and Loss — Ocala, FL
- Grief and Loss — Savannah, GA
- Grief and Loss — Brownsville, TX
- Grief and Loss — Gulfport, MS
- Grief and Loss — Myrtle Beach, SC
- Grief and Loss — Lafayette, LA
- Grief and Loss — Asheville, NC
- Grief and Loss — Naples, FL
- Grief and Loss — Mobile, AL
- Grief and Loss — Spartanburg, SC
- Grief and Loss — Beaumont, TX
- Grief and Loss — Tallahassee, FL
- Grief and Loss — Fayetteville, NC
- Grief and Loss — Montgomery, AL
- Grief and Loss — Shreveport, LA
- Grief and Loss — Hickory, NC
- Grief and Loss — Lubbock, TX
- Grief and Loss — Huntington, WV
- Grief and Loss — Gainesville, FL
- Grief and Loss — Clarksville, TN
- Grief and Loss — Columbus, GA
- Grief and Loss — Roanoke, VA
- Grief and Loss — Hagerstown, MD
- Grief and Loss — Fort Walton Beach, FL
- Grief and Loss — Kingsport, TN
- Grief and Loss — Waco, TX
- Grief and Loss — Longview, TX
- Grief and Loss — College Station, TX
- Grief and Loss — Tuscaloosa, AL
- Grief and Loss — Laredo, TX
- Grief and Loss — Slidell, LA
- Grief and Loss — Amarillo, TX
- Grief and Loss — Lynchburg, VA
- Grief and Loss — Daphne, AL
- Grief and Loss — Tyler, TX
- Grief and Loss — Lake Charles, LA
- Grief and Loss — Hilton Head Island, SC
- Grief and Loss — Macon, GA
- Grief and Loss — Fort Smith, AR
- Grief and Loss — Panama City, FL
- Grief and Loss — Charlottesville, VA
- Grief and Loss — Gainesville, GA
- Grief and Loss — Athens, GA
- Grief and Loss — Monroe, LA
- Grief and Loss — Punta Gorda, FL
- Grief and Loss — Jacksonville, NC
- Grief and Loss — Johnson City, TN
- Grief and Loss — Lexington Park, MD
- Grief and Loss — Warner Robins, GA
- Grief and Loss — Auburn, AL
- Grief and Loss — Florence, SC
- Grief and Loss — Charleston, WV
- Grief and Loss — Houma, LA
- Grief and Loss — Bowling Green, KY
- Grief and Loss — Dover, DE
- Grief and Loss — Midland, TX
- Grief and Loss — Burlington, NC
- Grief and Loss — Abilene, TX
- Grief and Loss — Jackson, TN
- Grief and Loss — Greenville, NC
- Grief and Loss — Blacksburg, VA
- Grief and Loss — Odessa, TX
- Grief and Loss — Vero Beach, FL
- Grief and Loss — Homosassa Springs, FL
- Grief and Loss — Decatur, AL
- Grief and Loss — Hattiesburg, MS
- Grief and Loss — The Villages, FL
- Grief and Loss — Florence, AL
- Grief and Loss — Dothan, AL
- Grief and Loss — Sherman, TX
- Grief and Loss — Valdosta, GA
- Grief and Loss — Winchester, VA
- Grief and Loss — Wichita Falls, TX
- Grief and Loss — Rocky Mount, NC
- Grief and Loss — Alexandria, LA
- Grief and Loss — Dalton, GA
- Grief and Loss — Texarkana, TX
- Grief and Loss — Albany, GA
- Grief and Loss — Morgantown, WV
- Grief and Loss — Hammond, LA
- Grief and Loss — Harrisonburg, VA
- Grief and Loss — Jonesboro, AR
- Grief and Loss — Wheeling, WV
- Grief and Loss — Cleveland, TN
- Grief and Loss — Salisbury, MD
- Grief and Loss — Staunton, VA
- Grief and Loss — Morristown, TN
- Grief and Loss — Elizabethtown, KY
- Grief and Loss — Lawton, OK
- Grief and Loss — Goldsboro, NC
- Grief and Loss — San Angelo, TX
- Grief and Loss — Brunswick, GA
- Grief and Loss — Anniston, AL
- Grief and Loss — Owensboro, KY
- Grief and Loss — Steubenville, WV
- Grief and Loss — Sebring, FL
- Grief and Loss — Pinehurst, NC
- Grief and Loss — Beckley, WV
- Grief and Loss — Sumter, SC
- Grief and Loss — Gadsden, AL
- Grief and Loss — Paducah, KY
- Grief and Loss — Rome, GA
- Grief and Loss — Victoria, TX
- Grief and Loss — Hot Springs, AR
- Grief and Loss — Hinesville, GA
- Grief and Loss — Parkersburg, WV
- Grief and Loss — Enid, OK
- Grief and Loss — Eagle Pass, TX
West
- Grief and Loss — Los Angeles, CA
- Grief and Loss — Phoenix, AZ
- Grief and Loss — Riverside, CA
- Grief and Loss — San Francisco, CA
- Grief and Loss — Seattle, WA
- Grief and Loss — San Diego, CA
- Grief and Loss — Denver, CO
- Grief and Loss — Portland, OR
- Grief and Loss — Sacramento, CA
- Grief and Loss — Las Vegas, NV
- Grief and Loss — San Jose, CA
- Grief and Loss — Salt Lake City, UT
- Grief and Loss — Fresno, CA
- Grief and Loss — Tucson, AZ
- Grief and Loss — Honolulu, HI
- Grief and Loss — Bakersfield, CA
- Grief and Loss — Albuquerque, NM
- Grief and Loss — Boise, ID
- Grief and Loss — Oxnard, CA
- Grief and Loss — Stockton, CA
- Grief and Loss — Colorado Springs, CO
- Grief and Loss — Provo, UT
- Grief and Loss — Ogden, UT
- Grief and Loss — Spokane, WA
- Grief and Loss — Reno, NV
- Grief and Loss — Modesto, CA
- Grief and Loss — Santa Rosa, CA
- Grief and Loss — Visalia, CA
- Grief and Loss — Vallejo, CA
- Grief and Loss — Salem, OR
- Grief and Loss — Santa Maria, CA
- Grief and Loss — Salinas, CA
- Grief and Loss — Anchorage, AK
- Grief and Loss — Eugene, OR
- Grief and Loss — Greeley, CO
- Grief and Loss — Fort Collins, CO
- Grief and Loss — Boulder, CO
- Grief and Loss — Kennewick, WA
- Grief and Loss — Olympia, WA
- Grief and Loss — Merced, CA
- Grief and Loss — Bremerton, WA
- Grief and Loss — San Luis Obispo, CA
- Grief and Loss — Bend, OR
- Grief and Loss — Yakima, WA
- Grief and Loss — Santa Cruz, CA
- Grief and Loss — Prescott, AZ
- Grief and Loss — Bellingham, WA
- Grief and Loss — Las Cruces, NM
- Grief and Loss — Lake Havasu City, AZ
- Grief and Loss — Yuma, AZ
- Grief and Loss — Medford, OR
- Grief and Loss — St. George, UT
- Grief and Loss — Chico, CA
- Grief and Loss — Billings, MT
- Grief and Loss — Coeur d'Alene, ID
- Grief and Loss — Yuba City, CA
- Grief and Loss — Redding, CA
- Grief and Loss — El Centro, CA
- Grief and Loss — Idaho Falls, ID
- Grief and Loss — Pueblo, CO
- Grief and Loss — Grand Junction, CO
- Grief and Loss — Logan, UT
- Grief and Loss — Maui, HI
- Grief and Loss — Santa Fe, NM
- Grief and Loss — Hanford, CA
- Grief and Loss — Flagstaff, AZ
- Grief and Loss — Mount Vernon, WA
- Grief and Loss — Napa, CA
- Grief and Loss — Albany, OR
- Grief and Loss — Bozeman, MT
- Grief and Loss — Missoula, MT
- Grief and Loss — Wenatchee, WA
- Grief and Loss — Sierra Vista, AZ
- Grief and Loss — Twin Falls, ID
- Grief and Loss — Farmington, NM
- Grief and Loss — Longview, WA
- Grief and Loss — Cheyenne, WY
- Grief and Loss — Corvallis, OR
- Grief and Loss — Helena, MT
- Grief and Loss — Fairbanks, AK
- Grief and Loss — Pocatello, ID
- Grief and Loss — Grants Pass, OR
- Grief and Loss — Great Falls, MT
- Grief and Loss — Casper, WY
- Grief and Loss — Lewiston, ID
- Grief and Loss — Walla Walla, WA
- Grief and Loss — Carson City, NV
Cities and all 3,143 US counties are covered too — every place page is live. The campaign sitemap lists every one.
