GET INVOLVED

BECOME A PEER GROUP FACILITATOR

Volunteer facilitators at Starlight Ministries are the Hands and Feet of Jesus walking with participants on their grief journey. Starlight Ministries provides training to facilitators, so they are equipped with skills to support children, teen and adult groups. Each night of support group, facilitators are given Starlight Ministries Mourning Star Grief Curriculum, an easy-to-follow guide to encourage participants to explore their own thoughts and feelings about death and Hope for the future.

If you are 18+ and have a passion for sharing the Hope of Christ to children and families who are grieving a death loss, we welcome you to complete the online application below. Starlight Ministries peer-to-peer support groups are 6-week units, 4 times a year. We would encourage you to commit to facilitate two 6-week units.

APPLY HERE

DONATE

Consider donating from our Amazon wish list. Every unit requires materials for activities and crafts for our children and teens. The activities and crafts help each individual with understanding the different facets of grief and to express their feelings through creative means.

You can find our latest wish list at the link below.

PROVIDE A MEAL 

Looking for a way for your family, small group, team, or club to serve?

Consider providing and serving a simple meal to our grieving families.

For more information contact Barb at barb@starlightmin.org or call the office at 616.622.1999

 

HELP OUT WITH STARLIGHT MAILINGS

Many hands make light work and there are always things we could use help with at Starlight Ministries such as assistance with small projects, mailings, etc. Help is needed three to four times a year. 

If you find yourself with some extra time, we would love your helping hands!

Sign up below if you’re interested in helping out with our mailings!

SIGN UP

A SHINING STAR

Since the Fall of 2013, Todd Bronson has been facilitating with Starlight Ministries in Hudsonville. He saw a Facebook post asking for volunteers and felt God’s call on his heart to respond. “We are so grateful that Todd listened to God that day,” said Mycah, Starlight Ministries Family Service Coordinator. “For nearly a decade, he has been a faithful facilitator for our children and teen groups. We are also extremely blessed to have Todd as a Big Buddy at Camp Anew, our three-day grief camp.”

When Todd was asked what keeps him facilitating for over 9 years, he said, “simply put…gratitude! I’m thankful for God’s mercy and this is just a small act of gratitude for His love and forgiveness”. For those thinking about facilitating, Todd would stress that you don’t need to be a counselor. “[Starlight] is a place for participants to share about their grief,” said Todd. “You just get the incredible opportunity to listen and see God do His work! Pretty amazing at times!”

Thank you, Todd, for your commitment and for sharing the love and grace of Jesus with our participants. A special thanks to Todd’s family for advocating his calling from God 9 years ago and continuing to support his gifts of being a facilitator at Starlight Ministries.

PRAYER WARRIORS

We Covet Your Prayers

    • Pray for the FAMILIES who are facing tragic losses. Their lives have been altered and will never be the same.  Each individuals’ journey of healing needs to be covered in prayers. Please pray now for the families who are coming to Starlight.  Ask our Lord that he will provide them with HOPE through Himself, HEALING for their broken hearts and SUPPORT from those around them.
    • Pray for our FACILITATORS.  Pray they will have the words to speak, an understanding of each individual in their group and divine wisdom from the Lord as they seek to walk alongside some painful situations and varying emotions.
    • Pray for the Starlight STAFF.  Pray that funds will be provided to do our job diligently and to its fullest potential…knowing in each heart that they are doing Kingdom work.
  • We are praying BIG that God will provide a BUILDING to house Starlight staff offices and weekly group support meetings (essentially a building equipped with a kitchen and classrooms).  We know that God can do far more than we can even think or imagine!

STORIES OF HOPE

Stories of lives restored from participants of Starlight Ministries.

CATHY TILBURT

I discovered Starlight Ministries in September of 2016 by God's providence. I was reading a book by Miriam Neff & learned about the Widow Retreat from the Widow Connection website. That led me to visit the Starlight website & I discovered the Peer-to-Peer groups that way. After the first meeting, both Taylor & I were comforted to know that there were other people who get what we are going through.

Taylor attended Camp Anew this past summer, & even though he was hesitant at first, he really appreciated his time there. He came home with a better outlook on his dad's passing. For that, I am grateful! Through the Peer-to-Peer group, he was able to reconnect with a former classmate. He was also able to talk about his dad's passing & work through his thoughts, feelings & emotions surrounding his dad's death. We will never be able to fully say Thank You to Starlight Ministries for all of the support they have given to Taylor & I through the different parts of their ministry.

Paul Elias

Starlight gives us hope, because they bring others together that have kind of shared this path. They help us to understand what we’re going through, that we are not alone and we will get through this. Starlight developed their program and it’s like the church was meant to be. We come together, we share a meal and then we break off and then we break off into our age appropriate groups for small group time.

I have attended the Widow Retreat for the past two years & I come away blessed & refreshed every time. I am also thankful for the friendships that have formed from the Peer-to-Peer group at Starlight Ministries. I am grateful that there are people who I can talk to anytime who will fully understand the way that I am feeling. Starlight has been a blessing beyond comprehension to us, individually & as a family.

 

Amy Sikkema

Starlight’s been a blessing in so many ways; the grieving process of loosing a spouse and moving forward with this journey, it’s great to have the support of community and knowing that we walk hand in hand; we’re not alone.

 

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START PROVIDING HOPE AND HEALING TO THOSE THAT HAVE EXPERIENCED A DEATH LOSS

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"Thursday nights are the only nights that I feed my kids and eat as a family"
- Jamie, participant
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