A new effort is underway to offer grief support for younger adults.

The Revs. Don Deines and Shari Mason are facilitators for the effort.

Deines is senior pastor at Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Austin.

Mason serves Little Cedar and Marshal Lutheran churches in Adams.

The strictly informal group meets 7-8 p.m. Tuesday evenings at Our Savior's Lutheran Church, 1600 West Oakland Ave. The group welcomes "drop-ins," men and women from all denominations. Participants can come for one session of sharing and never return or come as often as desired.

Deines said the group's members are the key.

"Mostly, they help each other. They know the depth of their pain. I might say seven words, but they have 700 to say," he said.

No other group focuses its efforts on younger adults who have lost a loved one.

According to Mason, "There is a lot of good support in place for other people. This group is for younger adults, who don't have a group focused on their age level."

The group started meeting in March. Thus far, there have been two to five participants.

The idea was suggested to Mason.

"She lost her husband, who was 42, and said there really wasn't anything or anybody out there to relate to her specific needs. When we discussed it further, we realized this was a need that needs to be filled," Mason said.

The group facilitator said she "trusts that God is at work," when the group meets, although the sessions are informal and with both pastors there merely to guide the conversation.

"They can listen, they can talk, they can share. We're there to allow people to share. That's all," she said.

Deines said the partners and spouses of loved ones who have died need to let their feelings be known.

"I will try to raise questions to help them open up," Deines said. "Are they able to cry? How do they handle their anger? What do they do about their fears of being alone? The rest is up to them. Once they can talk about their feelings, once they can do something about those feelings of anger and fear, the healing can begin," he said.

Deines said he and Mason are "bearing witness" to the pain the younger adults suffer. Whether that pain is any different from that suffered by the elderly is "hard to say."

Opening up among those who share the pain begins a "healing thing" that can have lasting benefits, according to the group facilitator.

For information, call Deines at 437-4516 or Mason at 582-3185.

Lee Bonorden can be contacted at 434-2232 or by e-mail at lee.bonorden@austindailyherald.com