In 2017, as two women on our team in the Sligo Church Office were sharing their experience of losing their husbands—both of them to cancer, they realized that there was no ministry in our church that addressed the needs of those who had lost spouses. They shared this with another staff member, and HeartLifters was born. Kathleen Driscoll, Sheila Schlisner-Hendricks and Charlotte Conway began to think of what an outreach to widows and widowers would look like. Mostly, they wanted a ministry that would help find joy after loss.

They began with a Potluck and invited those who had lost spouses listed in the Sligo database. This group became the nucleus that shared ideas and gave encouragement and support. They were given a start-up budget and were able to develop a logo and website and began to send birthday and holiday cards and to hold workshops. They prepared a box to send filled with items of encouragement as other members lost their spouses with an invitation to join HeartLifters.

As we met at our workshops, we had church members who were divorced who asked if they could be part of our group and so they were enthusiastically invited to join. There was another group–those who had just had put their spouse into long-term care and felt the loneliness of having lost their spouse who also wished to become part of our ministry. So now HeartLifters has become a support community offering comfort and assistance to those who have lost spouses by death, divorce or dementia.

As we shared our vision to the Pastors, Staff, Board and Sligo members, we were encouraged and given tremendous backing with the Senior Pastor becoming one of our greatest supporters.