Written by Fran Craig

As you leave the 11:00 a.m. Sunday service, you may have noticed people in the Baptistery or the Prayer Room off the front lobby talking or praying quietly and wondered what that is all about.  Here at Christ the Redeemer we have some ministries that are easily seen and others that are more quiet, more in the background, but all are important to the life and health of the church.  The Healing Prayer Ministry is one of the more quiet ministries.

As the Apostle James wrote (James 5:16),  “…pray for one another that you may be healed.”  If a church is to be healthy, it must work intentionally to bring not only spiritual health to its members, but also physical, mental, and relational health, just as Jesus did and as he commanded his followers to do.

The Healing Prayer Ministry’s motto is “Listen, Love, and Pray,” so while we listen to your story we are also listening for the Holy Spirit’s direction onphoto-1447619297994-b829cc1ab44a how to pray specifically for the needs you present to God through us.  And all the while, we try to communicate God’s love and care for your concerns.  It is he who heals; we are merely channels for his healing love to reach your need.

God has accomplished amazing things in the few years that CtR has been in existence: healing of severe emotional trauma, relief of pain, assurance of God’s undying love, easing of anxiety, and many other healings.  Some answers to prayer have come immediately, some over time, some are in progress, and some are still pending.

Just as people came to Jesus to be healed and soon became his followers, it’s our hope that CtR will become a “House of Healing,” that those in the communities around us will hear of what God is doing here, will “come and see,” will hear the Gospel, and will become his followers.

We, the men and women of CtR’s Healing Prayer Ministry, undergo extensive training to prepare us to pray effectively for you.  Each Christian is given one or more gifts that are meant to be used to serve others.   We have been given gifts that are useful in the Healing Ministry; the training teaches us how to use these gifts effectively.  If you
feel God has gifted you in this way, please let us know.

We are very excited about one change that you will see this week.  At the back of the Sanctuary, a glassed-in Prayer Room has been built to be used for Healing Prayer during the Holy Eucharist, 11:00 a.m. service.  The hope is that you will see that Healing Prayer is an integral part of Worship. Healing Prayer is also offered after the service in the Baptistery and the Prayer Room off the front lobby.  Do come with your concerns and let us Listen, Love, and Pray in confidence with you.