Church offers help to those facing divorce

The Democrat welcomes comments. Inappropriate language or comments outside our standards will be removed. No guest or anonymous comments allowed.

September 4, 2012

Church offers help to those facing divorce

Brian Smith CNHI The Weatherford Democrat Tue Sep 04, 2012, 08:00 AM CDT

WEATHERFORD — Robin Lyle knows a thing or two about the Divorce Care seminar he will be leading starting tonight.

For one thing, this is the second seminar he’s led for First Baptist Church in Weatherford. Second, and perhaps more importantly, he’s been a participant.

Lyle, associate worship pastor at FBC, got divorced after 30 years of marriage and five kids. Not seeing the divorce coming, he admits going through a time where he didn’t know what to do.

“The pain was just too deep. It was just way too traumatic for me,” Lyle said. “There was a loss of vision for me, a loss of dreams.”

He opted to go to Divorce Care, an international program designed to help divorced or separated individuals find help, discover hope and experience healing. He said when he first took part in the seminar, it “was a surreal feeling and I felt it wasn’t supposed to be me.”After going to two Divorce Care groups, he finally found one that clicked in Southlake.

Lyle was searching for a pastor’s job and found one here in Weatherford. He started leading the contemporary music service at the church in the spring of 2011 and came into his current position in October.

With the success he achieved through the program as a participant, he wanted to get a Divorce Care program started at FBC.

“I knew some of the other churches has started it, but none of them were downtown,” Lyle said. “I knew the program had worked because I had received the healing myself.”

His first set of 13-week seminars began in January and had about 13 participants. The classes themselves are self-contained and feature subjects on how to face anger, depression and loneliness, financial survival, KidCare, forgiveness, reconciliation and more. It’s not necessary to go every week, Lyle said, but he did suggest not trying to start in in the ninth or 10th week.

“Each group develops its own dynamic over time,” Lyle said. “People are welcome at any time but they may not feel comfortable. not because of the people, but because they have missed so much.”

Lyle suggests those interested in taking part allow themselves to do something that is very difficult: allow yourself to be vulnerable.

“You’re coming here to heal, but to heal you sometimes have to make yourself vulnerable,” Lyle said. “It’s an alteration of yourself, so you have to take a chance on revising and reinventing yourself. No one will judge you.”

As part of the program are small support groups which develop within each seminar, which many consider the most helpful portion of the program.

FBC is located at the intersection of South Waco and Alamo streets (just off Palo Pinto Street). Class runs Tuesdays from 7-8:30 p.m. in Room 104E. Participants are asked to park in the east parking lot. For information or to sign up e-mail Lyle at robin@fbcweatherford,org