Equip Your Church to Support Widows and Widowers with Hope, Healing, and Purpose
Being a widow in church can be one of the loneliest places to be.
As a widow, you can feel like you no longer fit in — couples sit together, families gather, and you quietly wonder where you belong. Divorce Care, Celebrate Recovery, Grief Share, Singles Groups, all great programs, but none made specifically to support the unique needs of widows and widowers. Conversations that once felt natural now feel tender, and even surrounded by people of faith, you may still feel unseen or misunderstood.
Grief has a way of isolating, even in the most loving congregations. Many widows stop attending church altogether—not because they’ve lost faith, but because they no longer feel they have a place within it. The familiar rhythms of Sunday mornings can suddenly feel like reminders of what’s missing instead of what remains. When I became widowed in May of 2020, I searched every church in my local area to find a group for widows, and I couldn’t find one.
That’s why the Widow Goals Support Program was created — to remind widows that they still belong in the Body of Christ. This program equips churches to open their doors and hearts wider, offering widows a safe space to grieve, connect, and rebuild their lives with hope and community.
Widows are mentioned 103 times in the Bible, yet so many churches don’t have a ministry just for them. The Widow Goals Program was created to help churches change that — offering a ready-to-lead system that brings healing, community, and hope to those walking the widow journey.
What Is the Widow Goals Support Program?
The Widow Goals Program is a complete, faith-based support system designed for churches and ministries to walk alongside widows in their healing journey.
Built around Michelle Bader Ebersole’s bestselling book, Widow Goals – Steps to Finding Peace When You Lose Your Spouse, the program offers both spiritual encouragement and practical tools to help women move from surviving to thriving.
This 11-week program includes everything your church needs to launch a successful widow support group — whether led by a widow, another ministry leader, or a caring volunteer.
What are the goals covered in the book and workbook?
- Get Out of Bed
- Call on Your Tribe
- Let the Tears Flow Freely
- Remember to Take Care of Yourself
- Don’t Be Surprised by Anxiety
- Reenter Social Spaces with Confidence
- Focus on Today
- Let Go of Why
- Discover Your New Normal
- Let Yourself Laugh
- Take Your Time with Their Things
- Understand Grief Comes in Waves, Not Stages
- Don’t Fall for Counterfeit Comfort
- Give Back to Others
- Discover Your Purpose
- Let Go of Guilt
- Face Loneliness with Faith and Courage
- Learn How to Be a Solo Parent
- Survive the Holidays and Make New Traditions
- Consider Counseling or Other Grief Programs
- Understand How Much God Loves and Defends Widows
- Know That It’s Okay to Be Angry
- Know That Finding Love Again Is Okay
- Give Yourself Permission to Remember Honestly—Even the Hard Parts
- Gently Guide Others in How to Support You
- Know That You Were Chosen
- Embrace Your New Identity
- Have an Eternal Perspective
- Do Something Today to Better Your Future
- Live at Peace with God and Everyone
Order books on Amazon OR email michelle@widowgoals.org for 25% off bulk orders over 15 copies
Widow Goals: Steps to Finding Peace When You Lose Your Spouse is a tender, faith-filled guide for anyone who feels lost after losing the person they loved most. If you’re wondering how to breathe again, how to move forward when your world has fallen apart, this book was written for you.
After losing her husband of 17 years, Michelle Bader Ebersole walked through the heartbreak, loneliness, and overwhelming questions that grief brings. Through the deepest valley, she discovered a powerful truth: God had not abandoned her—and He hasn’t abandoned you either.
In Widow Goals, Michelle shares thirty heartfelt steps rooted in Scripture, personal experience, and real hope. Each chapter is an invitation to take a small step forward—even on the days when healing feels impossible.
Inside, you’ll find answers to questions like:
- Is there any hope left for me after this loss?
- How do I survive the anxiety, loneliness, and heartbreak?
- Can I grieve honestly without losing my faith?
- What do I do with the overwhelming pain on holidays and anniversaries?
- How do I rebuild my life when everything feels broken?
You didn’t choose this story—but you are not walking it alone.
You are still chosen. You are still loved. You are still held in the hands of a faithful God.
The Widow Goals Workbook is a faith-filled companion created to support you as you navigate life after loss. Designed to align with Michelle Bader Ebersole’s book, Widow Goals – Steps to Finding Peace When You Lose Your Spouse, this workbook offers a space for deep reflection, gentle encouragement, and intentional healing.
Whether you’re walking this path alone or with a community of fellow widows, this resource will meet you where you are—with grace, honesty, and hope.
Inside, you’ll find:
- Chapter summaries to reinforce key insights
- Scripture passages to ground your heart in truth
- Heart check-in questions to guide emotional awareness
- Reflection prompts that invite personal discovery and growth
- Action steps to help you move forward with courage
- Prayers to nurture your soul and strengthen your faith
This isn’t about rushing grief or “getting over it.” It’s about making space to feel, reflect, and grow—day by day, goal by goal.
Let this workbook walk alongside you as you rediscover who you are, embrace God’s love in every chapter of your story, and take brave steps into a future filled with peace, purpose, and new possibilities.
The Widow Goals Workbook Leader’s Guide is a practical and compassionate companion for anyone leading widows through the healing journey found in the Widow Goals Workbook.
Designed for facilitators and group leaders, this guide includes week-by-week outlines, memory-sharing prompts, reflection questions, and closing prayers to help create safe spaces for honesty, laughter, and grace. Each session encourages participants to process grief, rediscover hope, and move toward peace and purpose within a supportive community.
Perfect for small groups, church ministries, online gatherings, or widow retreats, the Leader’s Guide makes it easy to lead with confidence—even if it’s your first time facilitating.
Walk together through the Widow Goals journey and help others not only survive, but truly thrive again.
What people are saying
