ZELIENOPLE — A new community group is aimed at helping widows socially, emotionally and spiritually.

The Widow to Widow ministry began in May at Park United Presbyterian Church in Zelienople. Alice Anger, the group's creator, said while the current membership consists mostly of widows, resources offered in the program also assist women who are living alone for any reason.

Anger started the group because she felt there was a need for a support group for widows that wasn't being met locally. She said the only venues for widows in the area are singles clubs, and the focus on dancing in those clubs leaves out a demographic of widows.

Anger said the group's first event, a breakfast at the church in May, drew 15 women. She said attendees ranged in age from the 50s to more than 80 years old.

She said about a third of those who attended were members of Park church, and the rest were mainly members' friends who were looking for a group for widows.

The group on Tuesday will begin a five-week Bible study at Park Hall, adjacent to the church on Grandview Avenue.

The study will follow the book "From One Widow to Another" and focus on grief and widowhood. But Anger stresses that fun and fellowship are the main focuses of the group.

"We don't sit around and cry," Anger said.

She said an activity will be planned for every other month and could include lunch at a local restaurant, topical discussions, bus trips or any other activity the group might enjoy.

"If a group member comes in with an idea, we're open to anything," Anger said.

She said the group will not meet in the winter to avoid having members drive on dangerous roads, and trips will be planned with the ambulatory abilities of members in mind.

She said lunching out together, an activity which most people take for granted, provides an important service to widows.

"You don't want to go to a restaurant alone," Anger said, "so we go together."

Polly Huffman, a Park Presbyterian member who became widowed nine years ago, said most social organizations are created for couples. She said once widowed, many women struggle to find a new place in society.

"Unless you've experience it, no one can explain it to you," Huffman said. "So many become depressed and withdraw."

She said the upcoming Bible study will help widows cope with this new stage in their lives. The first session will focus on grief and how to rely on a higher power to overcome it.

"It shows you that God is not only good, he is great," Huffman said.

She said another benefit of the group is the ability of members to discuss their issues with one another. Huffman said the group's first event saw women speaking openly with one another about the unique hurdles they face.

"You learn you can get along, you can cope with all the different problems because it's a different life," Huffman said. "And once you learn to help others, you find that help comes back to you."

Huffman said besides fun and fellowship, the group's main goal is to help widows get through this stage in their lives.

"We're going to try to get them back into life with other people," she said.

<B>WHAT: </B>Widow to Widow five-week discussion group on the book "From One Widow to Another: Conversations on the New You" by Miriam Neff<B>WHEN: </B>10 to 11:30 a.m. Tuesdays<B>WHERE: </B>Park Hall, adjacent to Park United Presbyterian Church on Grandview Avenue, Zelienople<B>INFO: </B>Call Alice Anger at 724-816-4977 or Polly Huffman at 724-368-3422. Advance reservations preferred.