Building on a Strong Foundation - Elim Park

Returning From Grief
Anissa & The Bereavement Group of 2009
No one knew what to expect when the first
Bereavement Group gathered in the Mountain View
sun room early in 2009. What these women found
was a safe place to share their deepest thoughts
and feelings and begin their healing journey.
Anissa Porticelli, Master of Divinity, was a
ministry intern with Andover Newton Theological
School when she initiated the Bereavement Group
at Elim Park. Her vision, she said, was to “establish
comfort and healing in the hearts of the women,
and for them to establish a bond together.” And
that’s exactly what transpired.
June Brown didn’t think she needed bereavement
counseling. Her husband had been gone almost
twenty years, and she had mentally prepared
herself for the passing of her daughter. But, she
said, “I went in case I could offer encouragement
to others.” She kept going because she found it so
easy to talk to the other women.
As she flipped through the pages of the journal
Anissa gave her, Addie Jacobs recalled Anissa’s
biblical references to women such as Ruth and
Naomi. Where you go, I will go, and where you stay, I will
stay. Suffering the more recent loss of a spouse,
Addie found it comforting to “be with others who
were feeling what I was feeling, knowing I wasn’t
alone.”
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Left to right: Addie Jacobs, Anissa Porticelli, June Brown
and Janice Rood
“I thought I had come to terms with my loss,” said
Janice Rood. “I didn’t think I needed any help.”
Janice was impressed by Anissa’s approach to their
discussions and her talent for drawing people out
with just the right questions. Now, she is a strong
advocate of the bereavement process and believes
“Elim Park should encourage this unique gift.”
Because she herself experienced traumatic loss,
being disabled and facing each day in a wheelchair,
Anissa can identify with suffering. As a woman, she
was able to connect with the group in a way that
the male chaplains could not.
Janice, June and Addie feel very fortunate to be
immersed in such a caring community, where
neighbors reach out and offer support to one
another. As they move forward with their lives, they
continue to meet and nurture the special bond they
all share.
Anissa will continue the bereavement program with
a new group, taking with her unexpected strength
and inspiration from a previous generation of
strong-hearted, courageous women.