Beginning Experience to celebrate 25 years

By KATIE LEFEBVRE, Globe staff reporter
October 13, 2005

The Beginning Experience program will celebrate its 25th anniversary with a dinner on Nov. 6 held at the United Methodist Church in Wesley.

The loss of a loved one through separation, divorce or death is one of life's most traumatic experiences. Beginning Experience is a weekend program that helps grieving single-again persons emerge from the darkness of grief into the light of a new beginning and move into the future with renewed hope.

The 25th anniversary event will begin with a social from 3:30 to 4 p.m. followed by a couple of guest speakers. Dinner will be served at 6 p.m. An hour of entertainment will start after dinner.

"It's a peer ministry, which means that anyone involved has been through the program themselves," said Diane Manhart of Alton, who is the president of the board for Beginning Experience of Northwest Iowa. "The goal of our weekends is to take the participants through the five stages of the grief process - give them some tools and information to help them cope with the grief that goes along with divorce or the death of their spouse."

Manhart noted that the hope for those attending the weekends is that they are feeling a little more hopeful towards their future.

"It also helps to build a support group - friends, camaraderie," said Manhart. "It is just a support system. It helps others realize they are not in it alone and maybe encourages them to improve their relationship with God or start a relationship with God."

According to Manhart, the weekend is a "process and the process works. It has affected a lot of people. It has changed a lot of people's lives. It is God's work. I think that is why it has been around for 25 years."

"When someone is going through a time like this in their life, they need a safe place that they can share their feelings and work through their grief," said Manhart. "They just need to be given an opportunity to share their feelings and reconnect with God or improve their relationship with him."

This experience is designed to be a time of closure on the past, so attendees are asked to be beyond the initial feelings of anger and despair which usually follow the loss, and ready to work toward a new reality.

"We are just delighted that there is this ministry available for people who are grieving that we are able to refer them to," said Bev Hurni, director of adult and family ministries for the Diocese of Sioux City. "The ministry survives because hurting people have found healing and then they are willing to help others recover from grief."

Hurni noted that for the Office of Adult and Family Ministries, it is just a matter of supporting Beginning Experience. The diocesan office does not have to facilitate the program. The program goes on because the people who have gone through the program continue to want to provide it for people in need.

"I want to acknowledge that Father Jim Bruch was the person who was the director of the family life office when it was brought to the diocese," said Hurni. "He was instrumental in starting it."

Beginning Experience weekends coming up in the area include Oct. 21-23 in Okoboji, one in March and another in January put on by the Des Moines team.