BEGINNING EXPERIENCE INTERNATIONAL MINISTRY INC

What BEGINNING EXPERIENCE INTERNATIONAL MINISTRY INC does

Beginning Experience International Ministry Inc is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit Catholic grief-support ministry founded in 1974 by Sister Josephine Stewart, SSMN, and Ann Marie Jo Lamia in Fort Worth, Texas. Its core offering is the Beginning Experience® Weekend, a three-day residential retreat that combines presentations, small-group discussion, private reflection, and Catholic liturgical elements (penance service, Mass) to help separated, divorced, and widowed adults work through grief. The program portfolio has expanded to include one-day introductory sessions (in-person and online via Zoom), multi-session support programs (Moving Forward with Hope, in-person and online), additional alumni programs (Continued Beginnings, Rebuilding, Building Happiness, Beyond Beginning Experience), and a recently launched 'From Heartbreak to Hope' entry-level program. All programs are facilitated by trained volunteer peer ministers who have themselves experienced spousal loss.

Delivery is structured around locally certified teams operating under an International Ministry Center headquartered in Rancho Cucamonga, California, with Regional Boards for Great Britain/Ireland and Asia Pacific. Programs are hosted at third-party retreat centers in 100+ communities across 9 countries (USA, Canada, England, Ireland, Scotland, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore). Technology usage is minimal and operational: Zoom for online sessions, a YouTube channel, and a Facebook page for outreach and testimonial distribution. Program materials (Weekend Manuals) are copyrighted and distributed only under contract to certified teams.

The revenue model combines one-time participant program fees ($75 deposit; $150–$175 per person in some chapters), tax-deductible individual donations (one-time gifts from $25, recurring from $15 monthly), book and product sales (including 'Learning to Live Again'), and special-event/convention proceeds. The organization has 6 paid employees and depends on a large volunteer workforce. Marketing relies on Catholic Church bulletins, diocesan Family Life office referrals, priest/bishop endorsements, regional conventions, and limited social media. The ministry holds 501(c)(3) status since 1980, is listed in the Official Catholic Directory and USCCB Directory of Lay Movements, and has received industry recognition including the James Young Award and recognition by the National Association of Catholic Family Life Ministers.

Name

BEGINNING EXPERIENCE INTERNATIONAL MINISTRY INC

Legal name

Beginning Experience International Ministry, Inc.

Website

https://beginningexperience.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Beginning Experience International Ministry Inc is a 501(c)(3) Catholic peer-led grief-support ministry that runs three-day and online programs for separated, divorced, and widowed adults across 9 countries via a volunteer team network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Catholic Grief Support Ministry

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Bereavement & Grief Support Services (Hospice-Affiliated/Independent) (HLADAHAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Faith-Based Humanitarian Aid & Relief Ministries (BPAGAJAF)

Keywords

• Grief support ministry
• Bereavement programs
• Peer grief counseling
• Catholic family ministry
• Divorce recovery programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Rancho Cucamonga

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Participant Program Fees: Weekend retreats charge fees ranging from $75 deposit to $150-$175 per participant. Additional support programs and one-day sessions also have associated fees.
2. Donations and Gifts: Tax-deductible donations from individuals, including one-time gifts (suggested minimum $25), recurring gifts (suggested minimum $15 monthly/quarterly/annual), and dedication/memorial gifts. The organization has 501(c)(3) status since 1980.
3. Product Sales: Sales of program materials and books such as 'Learning to Live Again' to program participants and teams.
4. Special Events: Revenue from conventions and regional conferences including silent auctions and banquet activities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Beginning Experience International Ministry delivers a portfolio of peer-led grief support programs for separated, divorced, and widowed adults, anchored by the foundational three-day Beginning Experience® Weekend retreat. Supporting this core offering are one-day introductory sessions, multi-session support programs, online-delivered versions of each, and additional post-weekend support programs, all facilitated by trained volunteer peer ministers who have themselves experienced similar spousal relationship losses.

Product overview

Beginning Experience International Ministry Inc is a grief support ministry offering a portfolio of programs for separated, divorced, and widowed individuals. The core offering is the Beginning Experience® Weekend, a three-day intensive grief resolution workshop. Supporting this core program are introductory one-day programs (In the Beginning...Coping with Life Alone) available both in-person and online via video conference, multi-session programs (Moving Forward with Hope...Coping with Life Alone) in both in-person and online formats, and additional support programs including Continued Beginnings, Rebuilding, Building Happiness, and Beyond Beginning Experience. A new program, 'From Heartbreak to Hope... Coping with Life Alone,' was also recently introduced. All programs are peer-ministry based, led by trained facilitators who have experienced similar losses themselves.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Beginning Experience Weekend: The core three-day grief resolution workshop program
• In the Beginning...Coping with Life Alone
• Moving Forward with Hope...Coping with Life Alone
• From Heartbreak to Hope
• Rebuilding Support Program

Products and services

• Beginning Experience® Weekend The foundational three-day grief resolution workshop that creates time and space for separated, divorced, and widowed participants to explore the emotional aftermath of spousal relationship loss through listening, writing, and sharing in a safe, caring environment. The weekend includes presentations, small group discussions, private reflection, a penance service, and Mass, and is facilitated by trained peer ministers who have themselves experienced similar losses.
• In the Beginning...Coping with Life Alone (one-day) A one-day introductory in-person program designed to help separated, divorced, and widowed adults begin to deal with the loss of a spousal relationship and focus on what lies ahead. Delivered by trained peer minister facilitators.
• In the Beginning...Coping with Life Alone ONLINE (one-day) A one-day introductory program offered via video conference technology (e.g., Zoom) designed to help those grieving spousal loss begin the healing process with support for hope and healing. Delivered by trained peer minister facilitators.
• Moving Forward with Hope...Coping with Life Alone A multi-session in-person program designed to help separated, divorced, and widowed adults explore the impact of spousal relationship loss and handle accompanying feelings as the beginning of the healing process. Delivered by trained peer minister facilitators.
• Moving Forward with Hope...Coping with Life Alone ONLINE A multi-session remote program delivered via video conference (e.g., Zoom) designed to help separated, divorced, and widowed adults explore their loss impact and handle accompanying feelings as the beginning of the healing process. Delivered by trained peer minister facilitators.
• Additional Support Programs (Continued Beginnings, Rebuilding, Building Happiness, Beyond Beginning Experience) Additional programs including Continued Beginnings, Rebuilding, Building Happiness, and Beyond Beginning Experience that help separated, divorced, and widowed individuals who have completed the Beginning Experience Weekend continue their healing journey. Delivered by trained peer minister facilitators.
• From Heartbreak to Hope... Coping with Life Alone New program for those grieving relationship loss from separation, divorce, or death of a spouse, supporting participants on the path from heartbreak to hope. Delivered by trained peer minister facilitators.
• Program Materials and Books (e.g., 'Learning to Live Again') Sale of proprietary Beginning Experience program materials including the Beginning Experience Weekend Manual for Presenting Team and Weekend Manual for Coordinators (available under contract to certified Beginning Experience teams), and the companion book 'Learning to Live Again' sold to program participants.

Quantifiable outcome

• Participants report transformation from initial apprehension to hope by end of weekend
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Catholic Family Life AssociationminorOthersListed as a member organization in the Catholic Family Life Association network (cfla.com). This membership provides connection to broader Catholic family life ministry resources and networking opportunities.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Compassionate Friends: The Compassionate Friends provides peer-led bereavement support groups for families who have experienced the death of a child; its peer-led chapter model, chapter self-management structure, and faith-agnostic approach closely parallel Beginning Experience's peer-minister chapter network, though the bereavement focus is on child loss rather than spousal loss.
• DivorceCare: DivorceCare is a 13-week video-based divorce recovery program distributed through churches globally; its seminary/training model and church-hosted facilitation overlap directly with Beginning Experience's weekend retreat and peer-minister deployment, with overlap concentrated on the separated/divorced population that is Beginning Experience's primary segment.
• GriefShare: GriefShare is a faith-based, video-driven grief recovery support program with facilitator-led small groups hosted in churches worldwide. It directly parallels Beginning Experience in mission (peer-led grief support), target population (bereaved individuals), and church-distribution model, but serves all-cause bereavement rather than being anchored to spousal loss.
• The Center for Loss & Life Transitions: The Center for Loss & Life Transitions is a bereavement education and training organization founded by grief expert Alan Wolfelt; it addresses adjacent grief populations and offers companioning-based programs, but is education/training-centric rather than retreat-based peer support.

Broad incumbents

• Catholic Charities USA: Catholic Charities USA is the national umbrella for diocesan social services including bereavement counseling, parish referrals, and family ministry; it provides overlapping family-life and pastoral care services to the same diocesan buyers that fund Beginning Experience programs, but at a far broader portfolio scale.
• Hospice Foundation of America: Hospice Foundation of America delivers bereavement programming, education, and resources to hospice providers and the public; it overlaps on bereavement support services and grief resources but operates mainly through hospice channels rather than faith/diocesan channels.

Emerging players

• Stephen Ministries: Stephen Ministries trains congregation-based lay caregivers to provide one-on-one Christ-centered care for the bereaved, hospitalized, and divorced; comparable in volunteer-driven parish-based delivery and Christian faith framing, but with broader use cases beyond grief and without the residential retreat model.

Others

• Precious Lives Ireland: An Irish charity providing peer-led support after the loss of a spouse or partner; mirrors Beginning Experience's wounded-healer peer support model in a single-country market with comparable grief-and-spousal-loss use cases.
• Worldwide Marriage Encounter: Worldwide Marriage Encounter is the Catholic weekend retreat ministry from which Beginning Experience conceptually emerged (the BE Weekend grew out of a Marriage Encounter weekend); it shares the Catholic weekend retreat format and diocesan distribution but focuses on marriage enrichment rather than bereavement.

Regional players

• Soulforce: Soulforce is a Christian-affiliated nonprofit focused on family reconciliation and healing around LGBT inclusion in faith communities; comparable as a faith-rooted life-crisis support organization using peer community models, but with a different population (LGBTQ Christians) and not focused on spousal bereavement.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@beginningexperienceinterna4662
• Facebookfacebook.com/BeginningExperience
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/beginning-experience-international-ministry-inc

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about BEGINNING EXPERIENCE INTERNATIONAL MINISTRY INC