Beginning Experience of the Hudson Valley serves widowed, divorced and separated men and women.

Our Mission

Beginning Experience is a faith-based ministry that serves those who have lost a spousal relationship due to death, divorce or separation. We offer copyrighted programs that help those grieving the end of a marriage.

Our grief-resolution programs shepherd people through the emotional devastation that remains after the end of a marriage. This emotional devastation is the same, regardless of how the marriage ended.

Volunteers who are trained as peer ministers accompany grieving people on a transformative journey to a new beginning in their lives.

Our History

Beginning Experience of the Hudson Valley began as the Westchester Beginning Experience team. It was originally formed in 1985 under the sponsorship of the Long Island team. Our team was renamed Beginning Experience of the Hudson Valley in 2009 in acknowledgment that we serve the broader Hudson Valley, not just within New York state but also including northern New Jersey.

The Beginning Experience of the Hudson Valley team strives to fulfill the mission of the Beginning Experience International Ministry, which is to help those grieving the loss of a spousal relationship.

Over the years, our team has been blessed with dedicated, capable, enthusiastic and willing members and leadership. All team members are former participants, and upon joining the team, undergo a training program given by existing team members. Many team members and boards have come and gone, but everyone has made a memorable contribution to our programs.

The team has also been blessed to have supportive spiritual advisors from the very start. We are grateful to God for this blessing and thankful for the advisors’ hard work and dedication in serving our team.

Beginning Experience of the Hudson Valley currently holds two Healing Weekend programs per year at St. Lawrence retreat center in Beacon, NY. In addition, the team offers In the Beginning … Coping With Life Alone, Moving Forward With Hope … Coping With Life Alone, and Building Happiness programs throughout the year, either via Zoom or in-person.

For program dates and registration information, please view the healing programs page. The program descriptions page will help you to decide which program is right for you.

Beginning Experience of the Hudson Valley also enriches and revitalizes the lives of team members, alumni, and past participants through activities such as spiritual renewal, agape, and other social gatherings throughout the year.