CSRA Death Cafe holds gathering at Augusta church

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The CSRA Death Cafe hosted a gathering Sunday at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Augusta on Walton Way.

Death Cafes began as a way to increase awareness about death and encourage people to make the most of their lives. Since 2011, more than 24,000 Death Cafes have been held in 97 countries.

Brenda Ferguson, an attendee at the CSRA Death Cafe, spoke about how people approach death differently.

“I think death is different for everyone, you know, but accepting people where they are and helping them through wherever they are,” Ferguson said. “And if we need to get them to understand some things, but I can never say your way is wrong, because it’s different for everyone.”

Abigail Danns, also an attendee, said many people avoid the topic altogether.

“From my experience, a lot of us kind of live in denial,” Danns said. “No one wants to plan the funeral. That’ll jinx it. No one wants to just kind of tiptoe around the topic when really we all have to do it. So we might as well kind of just explore those thoughts, have the conversations, and better yet, get prepared.”

Organizers said they will host another Death Cafe on Aug. 30 at 4 p.m.