VALLEY FORGE, PA (ABNS 2/1/16)—According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 1 million fetal losses occur each year in the United States. That means millions of grieving women are struggling to find words to share their pain. In Still a Mother: Journeys through Perinatal Bereavement Chaplains Joy Freeman and Tabatha D. Johnson share their own stories and the experiences of other women who have sustained such loss, to end the silence and to help equip pastors, congregations, family, and friends in ministering more compassionately to mothers who grieve.
Miscarriage, stillbirth, and infant death can be incredibly isolating, with women feeling silenced by shame or guilt, by confusion and loss of control. In this collection of incredibly honest personal narratives and theological reflections, women describe how they navigate the emotional terrains, deal with feelings about God and ministry, and ultimately continue the healing process. By sharing their stories, they let other women know they are not alone.
Elise Erikson Barrett, pastor and award-winning author, states, “These writers are intentionally vulnerable, exposing their own wounds for the sake of healing, creating safe space to reflect on what it means for a woman to be a mother who is without a living child.”
This book is not just for women. It also features practical ministry insights for clergy, chaplains, counselors, and others who care for women who have sustained loss.
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About the Authors
JOY FREEMAN, MDiv, is an American Baptist chaplain serving at North Kansas City Hospital in the Kansas City metro area. She is board certified with the Association of Professional Chaplains. Also a trained labyrinth facilitator, she is a wife and a mother to a seven-year-old daughter and a precious child who is now in heaven.
TABATHA D. JOHNSON, MDiv, is an ordained Disciples of Christ minister serving as a palliative care chaplain. She has more than twelve years of ministry experience focused in family ministry, pastoral care, and chaplaincy. She lives in the Kansas City metro area with her husband and three children.
Founded in 1824, Judson Press is a publishing ministry of the American Baptist Home Mission Societies, American Baptist Churches USA. It is committed to producing Christ-centered leadership resources for the transformation of individuals, congregations, communities, and cultures.
American Baptist Home Mission Societies—the domestic mission arm of American Baptist Churches USA—ministers as the caring heart and serving hands of Jesus Christ across the United States and Puerto Rico through a multitude of initiatives that focus on discipleship, community, and justice.
American Baptist Churches USA is one of the most diverse Christian denominations today, with over 5,200 local congregations comprised of 1.3 million members, across the United States and Puerto Rico, all engaged in God’s mission around the world.