An Overview Of The Church's Role Dealing With Wdows' Concerns As Studied M Juja Constrwn1cy District Based On A Biblically Evaluated Rebt

Widowhood has been rated as the highest cause of s&ess and it brings very many challenges which widows have to look for ways of coping effecüvely. The death of a spouse is the most fraumüing event in the life of the remaming partner. However some of these challenges can be made easier when they are handled effectively when widows have good support systems. The most effective support system is the church because it offers comfort and spiritual guidance through prayertcounseling and teaching the word of God. Therefore this study was undertaken to assess the effecüveness and commitment of the church in addressing concerns of widows to help them heal spiritually, psychologiéally and physically and move on with life.

The population was widows in Kenya. The target populaüon was widows aged between 35-65 years. The accessible population was drawn from five churches and one focus group in Juja constituency in Thika Distict. The total population was used for the study. The levels of education of widows were from standard seven to university gaduates. In the focus goup some widows were not able to read or write. The social status was also diversified because some had good jobs while others were casual workers. The data was collected using questionnaires, in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. The data was analyzed using descriptive stafsücs. Results revealed that most widows received support from their churches before and during the funeral, but this support was discontinued after the funeral.

The results implied that most widows were not counseled to help them deal with order to be healed. Widows were not helped or supported after the funeral when the reality of the loss is deeply experienced. Most widows faced financial cons&ain, loneliness and challenges in single parenting especially bringing up boys. The other challenge was unhealthy with in-laws who withdrew moral support immediately after the

funeral.