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Healing Ministry
at St. Johns
from an article by Rev. Joanie
O God, the source of all
health: So fill my heart with faith in your love, that with calm
expectancy I may make room for your power to possess me, and gracefully
accept your healing; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
-
Book of Common Prayer, p. 461. For Trust
in God
Contents
The Mission of
Healing Ministry
Our Shared
Commission to Heal
Laying On Of Hands and
Anointing
Healing Touch
For More
Information
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The Mission of Healing Ministry
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A
Twofold Mission
The mission of St. John in the Wilderness Church's Healing Ministry is
twofold:
 to renew
the church's role in healing, and
to
encourage and restore those in need of healing in body, mind, emotions,
and spirit through prayer, the laying on of hands and anointing, and
Healing Touch.
A Mission Grounded in Scripture
This mission is grounded in
scripture: Jesus modeled a healing ministry and included healing as part
of the great commission that He gave to his disciples. We all, clergy and
lay ministers, are called to witness to the power and love that God has
for us through Jesus Christ. We are called to teach, to spread the Good
News, and to heal.
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Our Shared Commission to Heal
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Healing Means to Make Whole
Most of us are familiar with teaching and bearing
witness, but what do we mean by our shared commission to heal? How is the
healing power of the Holy Spirit at work in each of us?
Healing means to make whole.
It is a process of regaining wholeness in body, mind, and spirit. It is
the process of rebuilding our right relationships with God, with each
other, and with the whole earth. It is not the event of "curing."
A Commission Central to Our Spiritual
Tradition
Our Spirit-guided mission to heal
ourselves and the world is central to our spiritual tradition, and it is a
continual process. As a community, our liturgy includes
Prayers of the
People. During these prayers, we hold up to God all who are suffering in
body, mind, and spirit, as we ask for healing and wholeness. In the
Confession following these prayers in our liturgy, we search our own
hearts to rebalance our lives that we may walk joyfully in God's way. In
addition, we have in our tradition the
Sacrament of Reconciliation to help
when we are deeply troubled and need pastoral care to rebuild our
relationship with God.
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Laying On Of Hands and Anointing
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Over the past two years at St. John's,
we have deepened this continual process of healing by returning to
additional healing practices: laying on of hands and anointing. These
Spirit-guided practices, done by both clergy and lay ministers, were
central to the church centuries ago.
In the fall of 2004, we started offering laying
on of hands and anointing during communion at our Sunday worship services.
In the Advent of 2004, we began offering a
Healing Eucharist on Wednesday evenings
at 7 p.m., and we have continued this powerful experience. During this
liturgy, people are invited to come forward for themselves or others to
receive the sacrament of unction (laying on of hands and anointing).
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Healing Touch
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In deepening our response to Jesus'
commission to heal, St. John's also offers Healing Touch Spiritual
Ministry. Healing Touch is an energy-based therapeutic approach to
healing. It began as a nursing continuing education program and is now
open to anyone who feels called to be trained in techniques that are
derived from the laying on of hands and the use of essential and biblical
oils. According to
Linda Smith, the founder of
Healing Touch Spiritual
Ministries, the goal of Healing Touch is the restoration of harmony and
balance in a person's energy system, enabling that person to heal on all
levels—physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual. Although Healing Touch
doesn't require a Christian orientation to be effective, studies have
shown that when the healer comes from a deeply Spirit-connected intention,
greater healing in the recipient often occurs.
Currently, Dianne Del Giorno and Rev. Joanie are the individuals certified in Healing Touch at St. John in the
Wilderness. Please call either one of them to ask questions or to make an
appointment. This healing pathway is open to all. Together with formal and
informal prayer, it is a response to God's call to heal ourselves and the
world.
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