Welcome to the conference! We are so glad that you are here.
Welcome to the conference! We are so glad that you are here.
We hope you’ll enjoy viewing the many wonderful sessions that were presented at the recent Fall Conference. Download the conference notebook for outlines and resources.
Join us in person or online for the 2027 conferences! The spring conference will be held in Lynchburg, VA on April 16-17, and the fall conference will take place in Indianapolis on October 22-23.
Child Loss 101: Hurting, Hoping, Healing
As bereaved parents, we are walking a very painful road that we didn’t choose travel. This journey is filled with a variety of challenges; many of these catch us by surprise. This session explores the difficult truths and realities of child loss. We will discuss the many facets of grief and the surprising “secondary losses” we may have to endure. We will explore the impact of child loss on our relationship with God and how to reach out to Him in lament. Finally, we will review suggestions for maintaining our physical, mental, and spiritual health as we travel this strange journey of losing a child.
Finding Hope After Child Loss
When the doctor said there were abnormalities on the ultrasound, Matthew and Hannah's world turned upside down. The following six months of pregnancy taught them how unprepared they and their community were to grieve. Their second son was born March 7, 2020, and passed March 9, 2020. Those 57.5 hours forever marked them. Matthew shares his journey in finding hope in the midst of child loss. His talk is unapologetically rooted in his Christian faith. He provides the practical advice that he wishes he would have had before that doctor's appointment in a few key areas: marriage, parenting, and at work. Attendees will walk away encouraged and challenged to seek after hope in the midst of suffering.
Resetting the Mind Morning by Morning: Helping the Heart Heal
Scripture teaches us the necessity of a new mindset if you and I are to walk in the wholeness of Shalom. But if our mindset, the lens of our hearts, are shattered, everything we see will be distorted. Drawing from Colossians, Romans, Philippians, and Lamentations, we'll unpack a simple but life-altering truth — you can possess the mind of Christ by guarding what gets in, rewriting hurtful thoughts, and reprogramming your mind daily. You can rewire your mind to heal your heart.
A Daily Dose of Hope — Mark Roser
There is no loss like losing a child. In that unbearable weight of grief, it's easy to believe there's no way forward. But you don't have to see the whole path. Just the next step. Hope comes in doses — and expresses itself in a moment of laughter without guilt, a memory that brings warmth instead of only pain. That's not moving on. That's moving through. And step by step, day by day — purpose can return. Joy can return. Hope can fill your days and life like never before...
Step One: Bring Your Grief to God
The death of a child shatters our life as we know it. We look around at the wreckage and wonder, "How could I possibly go on from here? I don't want to live without my child. Why did God do this to me?" In this session, Molly Huffman shares how death came crashing into her life, leaving her reeling with questions, doubt, and grief, and how her multi-step healing began with one initial choice. Making that one choice led Molly to discover a deeper faith, purpose, and joy she never knew was possible.
What the Bible Says About the Loss of a Child
The loss of a child, whether to death, estrangement, or circumstance, represents one of Scripture's most recurring and profoundly human grief narratives. From the very first family in Eden to the grieving widow at the gate of Nain, the Bible refuses to minimize this wound. These narratives anchor some of Scripture's most powerful theology: that God sees, that He is moved by our tears, and that even the death of a beloved child is not beyond His redemptive reach.
He Restores Our Soul
If Jesus didn't stop the death of our child, can we trust that He will heal us? How do we grieve when the Bible says, "Always be joyful" (1 Thess. 5:16)? What can I do to make this pain go away as fast as possible? What does it look like to flourish during deep grief? In this session, Molly walks us through her favorite passage in the Bible on grief so that you may know you are known and seen by God, that He grieves with you, and that He has a plan to restore you. Additionally, we will discuss some very important practices that will help you be patient and gracious with yourself as you grieve.
Praying Through Life’s Battles
Some battles we win. Some we simply survive. And some, like the loss of a child, leave us with no words to pray at all. Drawing from Romans 8 and her own journey through grief, Rachel Wojo speaks tenderly to weary, worried hearts about praying in the hardest seasons: how to recognize the enemy's lies, how to turn worry into worship, and how to trust the Spirit who intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. Rachel will powerfully remind us that the battle is the Lord's. In a special interview segment during this closing session, Rachel also sits down with her husband, Matt, to share honestly about grieving the same child as father and mother.
Marriage in the Wake of Child Loss
In this breakout session, we will consider the impact on marriage after child loss. The differences between men and women in grief and the truths versus myths about divorce after child loss will be explored. We will also discuss practical ways to support our spouse and strengthen our marriage along the grief journey. We pray you will be encouraged and filled with hope as we share together!
Going Deeper with Biblical Lament
Losing a child is life-shattering! What can we do with the pain, confusion, and sorrow that accompanies the death of a child? God calls us to face our feelings honestly and cry out to Him in lament. As evidenced in Scripture, lament gives honest expression to our grief and confusion and allows God to draw us into a deeper intimacy with Himself. In this workshop we will review some basic biblical teaching on lament and then discuss ways to deepen our experience with this practice as we continue on our faith journey after child loss.
In this session, Candice will share her personal story of pain and loss to encourage others as they navigate grief and seek Jesus through uncertain and deeply unfair circumstances. Every grief journey is unique, and no two stories are the same. There is no formula for knowing exactly what each person needs in the midst of loss, but Jesus does. As we practice seeking Him, listening for His voice, and trusting His presence, He faithfully provides what we need for each moment of the journey.
Remembering: Finding Hope and Meaning
In this breakout session, we will consider the significance of remembrance in the grief journey. Scripture often speaks of remembering the work of the Lord as a means of drawing us closer to God and finding hope in difficult times. We will consider how to remember the work of the Lord even in our grief. Additionally, remembering our child(ren) is also important in the grief process and we will share practical ways to remember our child(ren) in the various stages of mourning. You can find encouragement and hope in the practice of remembrance!
Beauty from Brokenness – A Kintsugi Experience
Kintsugi is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with golden lacquer, transforming fractures into part of the object's beauty. Rather than hiding the breaks, Kintsugi honors them, creating something even more meaningful and valuable than before. For bereaved parents, grief often leaves deep wounds and visible scars. Yet Scripture reminds us that God is near to the brokenhearted and faithfully works in the midst of our sorrow. In this hands-on breakout session, participants will crush and then mend a ceramic heart ornament, reflecting on the reality of brokenness and the hope of restoration found in Christ. As we piece together the shattered fragments, we will consider how the Great Potter lovingly holds our broken hearts, bringing beauty from ashes and redeeming even the deepest pain for His glory.
The Faithfulness of God...Looking Back & Looking Forward Deb Rhodes
There was an issue with the sound and video of this recording. It’s being worked on and will hopefully be reposted by 11/10. Please check back!
After the loss of a child, a fog can come over us clouding our vision. That fog can affect our thought processes, our ability to perform regular tasks — even to see God at all. Our grief may lead us to the conclusion that He isn’t present. But sometimes, it’s in the rearview mirror that we see God’s hand in our circumstances. When our daughter, Natalie, was diagnosed with cancer at age twenty-one and we were in the trenches of treatment with her, I didn’t see the full scope of God’s intervention. Only by looking back did I see how he provided strength, comfort, and blessings along the way. The lessons I learned during that time about His faithfulness carried me, as we endured several trials in a ten-year period. Natalie entered Heaven nine years after her first diagnosis and our son, David, followed her nine and a half years later. God’s word tells us that He will never leave us or forsake us. Jesus tells us to remember. By looking back through that rearview mirror, seeing how He has moved in our lives and remembering His faithfulness, we can look forward with hope. We can be assured that He is present in our grief, working in any circumstance that arises, & that He will provide what we need. We can be assured of our ultimate hope of heaven and that we will see our children again.
Learning to Live with Loss as a Father Matt "Wojo" Wojnarowski
There was an issue with the sound and video of this recording. It’s being worked on and will hopefully be reposted by 11/10. Please check back!
Grief doesn't follow a schedule, but the world often expects fathers to "get back to normal' before they are ready. Matt will speak to the hearts of dads about carrying loss. Grounded in Scripture and his own experience, Matt will share practical truths to help you make room to hold both mourning and moving forward.
The Traumatic Effects of Grief
There was an issue with the recording of the session. If you weren’t in attendance, we want you to have this information so we are posting the session from a previous recording presented by Kelly and his daughter, Erin.
Trauma can be described as the physical and mental effects left on an individual from either one single event or a series of negative events. Trauma affects our entire being; emotional, relational, biological, spiritual and can alter our perspective on God, ourselves, and the world around us. God created us with emotions and feelings and its important to recognize that traumatic experiences can leave us confused and misunderstood. Grieving a loss is traumatic. We will look at how the autonomic nervous system is impacted by a traumatic event.
Anchored: Finding Spiritual Stability and Scriptural Hope in the Midst of Grief
We are sorry to report that there was an issue with the recording from this breakout session. We are hoping to record this wonderful session again.
When the waters of loss rise, it’s easy to feel adrift in our relationship with God. We may even feel that He has abandoned us. Anchored is a workshop designed to help you grieve with God, not apart from Him. Grounded in our own experience after our son's suicide, we will explore the verses and practices that keep us tethered to God when our world is shaken.
The following sessions were not recorded.
Navigating Suicide Loss — Jim Beardsley, Gary House, Misty West, Daniel & Amy Jepsen, Todd & Melissa Shaffer
Roundtable Discussion for Dads - Greg Albers
Roundtable Discussion for Moms - Susan Albers
Shelly Johnson led us in beautiful worship. A few of the recordings have some clips of her leading in worship, but you can find more at her YouTube channel. Shelly has written many songs that resonate with those who are grieving or in a season of suffering.
Thank you to these businesses for sponsoring the 2026 fall conference!
Click the logos below to view the websites, and learn what these businesses offer for you and your family.
The Flower Shop
