Does your church (faith community) do healing services?

[RevCheesehead]

I decided to do a healing service yesterday (Sunday). We've had quite a bit of death, hospitalization, turmoil, and fear of world events, and it seemed to be an excellent time. This service included an anointing with oil, as well as prayer, scripture, and hymns.

I was concerned at first that people would see that as odd. However, I was greatly surprised at the number of people who came forward. There were also many positive comments about the service.

We're United Methodist, and there's not a strong tradition of healing services. However, they do seem to be more frequent than before.

So, tell me about your church, or your personal healing/anointing service.

[Rabrrrrrr]

1. I think there is a lot of need, and receptive attitudes toward, healing.

I've been surprised, too, at how well healing services have been received in communities I've been involved in and also at youth events.

I always say, there is great power in ritual - and we should never shy away from it. There is a HUGE difference between going forward, having oil anointed on one's head, and receiving a blessing or just having the minister stand at the front and declare the blessing over all people at one time.

Same blessing, same healing words, but totally different effect.

On Good Friday, we do a big ecumenical service amongst the mainline churches, and this last time we had healing stations set up around the sanctuary (the church we were at has a large sanctuary with hallways around the sides underneat the balcony thingy, so there was room for stations all over). They announced the healing stations at the beginning of worship, we had a short responsive reading about healing, and then the stations were open for the whole service, with the idea that people were allowed to get up and go to any station at any time during the length of the service, and afterward as well.

Quite a lot of people went to the stations.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

2. We have one every Monday evening, and during our regular

Sunday service, one of the priests always goes back to a side altar in the sanctuary to anoint anyone who feels the need of a healing touch.

We can also go to be anointed FOR someone else.

[RevCheesehead]

3. Yeah, I did that, too.

I told them they could come forward on behalf of someone they loved who was in need of healing. I really think that that's what got the folks moving in my more "challenging" congregation.

One of my former churches has a tradition of doing anointing during the communion service. One pastor worked with the communion stewards and ushers, and the other stood at the altar with oil, ready to offer prayers if requested. It was really kinda special, but I think it's only effectively done like that in a larger congregation.

[silverlib]

4. We have them periodically at our little Methodist church...

and it works quite well. However, at a nearby large Methodist Church, there was a recent "running off of the pastor." Even though we are in Austin, there are still some very conservative Methodist congregations (including mine)and the pastor's sermon's talked of peace and being servants of mankind, and she actually led a class review of a Borg book. Once the congregation got wind of her friendship with Cindy Sheehan (she pitched her tent early on in Crawford), the move to oust her was strong and they managed to accomplish this task without going through the pastoral relations committee. (long story) An announcement was made, when the new pastor arrived, that there would be a healing service for the congregation. My friend, who is a member there and also an retired ordained Methodist minister, pointed out that to have a healing service, one needed to name what needed to be healed. I'll have to ask him how that turned out.

Our healing services are much like you described - personal healing, meditation, prayer, and songs.

[Critters2]

5. I did them at a small, rural church I served once

They were well received. Haven't done 'em here, tho don't know why. The UCC Book of Worship has a liturgy for them.

[StoryTeller]

6. We incorporate them into our Sunday service

I go to a Vineyard, which tends to be a very casual faith community, so at the end of the main Sunday service, people who are sick or have a prayer need are invited to come to the front. Anyone who is a regular attender and comfortable praying for others is welcome to participate in the prayer. Some people like to use anointing oil, and others like to put their hands on the head or shoulders, back, etc., of whoever is being prayed for. Sometimes there's a small group of people praying--2 or 3 or more, and other times it's just one person. Our pastor usually prays for people, too, but he likes to let other people in the congregation participate whenever possible.

We usually have people at the communion table to pray for people there, too, if they want. Or people can schedule a private prayer session during the week if they have a need that is more personal than they feel comfortable sharing on a Sunday morning.

It's normal to see people healed right then or sometimes they come back a week later and have a good report. And then there are other times when we have to just heal the long, "natural" way. :)

RevCH, I'm glad you did a healing service. I'm not surprised that people didn't find it weird. Most people I've met are grateful to receive prayer for things, even the ones who don't really think it will do any good. There are times I request prayer at church, and even if I'm not instantly healed (which I'm usually not, though I've seen lots of others who are) just the compassion and care shown toward me in the act of others praying for me makes me feel better, at least to some extent. I bet your prayer service made a lot of hurting people feel special and loved and valued, and that in itself is a healing thing. :)

[TreasonousBastard]

7. We've had them, sort of...

in the Quaker way. No anointing or any special liturgy. No liturgy or formal plan at all, actually, for us unprogrammed Quakers.

The weekly Meeting for Worship often includes healing messages, but when there are special concerns we have occasionally had a Meeting for Concerns, and there are sometimes smaller committee meetings for clearness to consider a specific problem. Since pretty much every time Quakers get together it's a Meeting for Worship, all of these things could be considered "healing services."

To an outsider, a Meeting for Concerns doesn't look any different than any other Meeting for Worship, but our entire point in the meetings is to look inward and "wait upon God." In a meeting for a particular concern, this waiting is more focused and we hope to come up with some discernment for the question at hand. Sometimes, we actually do, and we always feel better for having the meeting.