For more information – Contact David Mathews – [email protected]       501-230-3007

Partnering with Spark of Life:

·      Helps your church grow your existing grief ministry

·      Empowers your church to have specific strategies to begin an ongoing and powerful grief ministry

·      Helps your church demonstrate to both members and community the love of Christ in real, authentic, and powerful ways.

Since 2009, Spark of Life has conducted over 100 Grief Workshops for churches, and as of January 2026,

147  3 ½ Day Retreats, with over 2,000 attending.

NOTE: A Spark of Life Workshop is different than a Spark of Life Retreat. The workshop is typically held at a church building on a Saturday and Sunday or Saturday only. It is open to all, both grievers and non-grievers. There is no limit to the # of people who attend. A Spark of Life Retreat is a 3 ½ day retreat held at a resort, home, retreat place, or online, and is limited to about 16 participants, aged 18 and up.

NOTE: Workshops are geared for your church specifically. We will adapt our ‘normal’ for whatever you decide. The vast majority of the 100+ workshops we have conducted followed the schedule below.

Saturday – 8:00 AM – 12:30 PM    

Sunday (If applicable)

            Combined Bible Class – Teens -Adults: The POWER of Lament

            Sermon: Why Do You Hurt Me God? Discovering God through Horrific Pain

The Spark of Life Grief Workshop

About ½ of workshop attendees will be from your community, and ½ from your church. The reason? It is very comfortable for your members and staff to ask their friends, co-workers, and family whom they know are grieving, to come to this free workshop. When someone is hurting deeply, they often are open to receive help.

If funeral homes, hospice organizations, therapists, etc. help sponsor the workshop, they not only help with the financing, but they also spread the news to their clients.

At the workshop, we suggest that churches offer two options for workshop attendees who are seeking more help in their grief journey. More details below.

            (1)        The upcoming Spark of Life Retreat

            (2)        The upcoming 8-week class – Divine Grief – The Divine Grief Recovery Method

PROMOTION

Spark of Life helps you promote your workshop by supplying your church with promotion ideas that have helped to encourage people to attend. When a church books a workshop, SPOL (Spark of Life) will work closely with the contact person at your church.

COST – Fee for Workshop: There is no specific charge for a church hosting the workshop. The church decides how much, if any, to donate to Spark of Life. The average gift churches give is $2500. We are a non-profit, and need funds to expand the work. Any size donation is greatly appreciated. Spark of Life’s Tax ID# - 27-1107884   

Sponsorships: Many churches have sponsorships from local funeral homes, therapists and hospice organizations that help with the cost and the donation to Spark of Life. This works well and the sponsors are recognized in the program and at the workshop verbally. We have had churches secure 2-3 sponsorships from $500 - $1,000 each, and donate that amount to Spark of Life for doing this workshop.

The power of having sponsors like this is that they will publicize the Grief Workshop to their clients – it truly is a win-win. 

Expenses: We do ask the church to cover all the expenses of the presenter(s) – air fare if applicable, or if the presenter drives, the IRS rate for mileage – currently in 2026 @ $.725 per mile driven. Plus food and lodging.

The Spark of Life 3 ½ Day Grief Retreat. 

We encourage churches who host a workshop to schedule a Spark of Life Retreat in your area, to be held a few weeks after the workshop. We will help you in all the details, and will handle the registration, communication, etc.

Many will come to the workshop who need further help. Some are desperate. They can register for the retreat or request more information, at the workshop.

Church staff could also attend the retreat, which also serves as great training for your staff.

When staff and/or members attend a retreat, they experience and see the powerful change in those who are grieving, including themselves. They see hope return to ‘Live Forward’ with their pain. They desire to take this new-found hope to their church and community.

These retreats can be conducted in your community. This works well in a member’s home. Volunteers from the church help supply and serve the food. Participants find their own lodging if they are not local.

These retreats can be held yearly or twice a year, depending on your needs. It serves as a continual outreach to those in your community, and to your members.

The Spark of Life 8-week Grief Course – Divine Grief

The recommendation is for the course, as well as the retreat, to be scheduled a few weeks after the workshop. This 8-week course is provided to the congregation who hosts the workshop, and can be offered as a follow-up to the Grief workshop above.

It is a study of God’s Grief, and how God and Jesus handled their grief.

It works well like this: At the workshop, attendees will have the opportunity to register for the course (and/or the SPOL Retreat). This 8-week small group grief course can be offered often throughout the year.

The local churches Grief Ministry Team is often formed from those who have experienced deep loss, and who attend this course. The last lesson of the course focuses on the ‘secret sauce’ of a healthy grief recovery – which is Purpose or Meaning. What am I going to do with the grief I have experienced - to comfort others with the comfort I have received from God. Grievers in a healthy recovery have a heart to help others.