In increasing number of congregations in the United Church of Canada and other mainline denominations have implemented, or are actively investigating, the addition of healing ministry as a component of their pastoral care program.

Much of Jesus' ministry was spent in acts of healing and his disciples were empowered to continue his work. "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in me will also do the works that I do" (John 14:12).

Believing that Jesus continues to call his followers to practice healing, a unit of a Maritime Conference Christian Life and Growth Committee was mandated in 2003 to explore healing ministry as it was being practiced in that conference. This three-year project was to identify existing healing ministries and provide resources for congregations wishing to explore or develop such a program.

The unit, composed of six members, clergy and lay, met initially to discover what healing ministry means to individuals and the church community. The challenge of language limitations, some reticence about healing ministry itself and communication difficulties made this task a bit overwhelming at first. "We prayed, read, and talked a lot to discover and define healing ministry," committee member Linda Finlay wrote in "Imprints," the Conference's newsmagazine.

So just what is healing ministry?

There is no one answer, except that faithful individuals and communities as instruments of God's power and through faith in Jesus' healing, can offer healing to those who desire it.

Maritime Conference president Rev. Ross Bartlett has been involved in a liturgical ministry of healing for nearly a decade. The pastor of St. Matthews United Church in Halifax points out that the Christian tradition has two complementary views on the subject.

On the one hand, it is a gift of the Spirit. But equally important is the task of the Christian community to pray for and serve others. All of us, quite apart from our personal spiritual gifts, can also be said to be channels of God's grace to others, Bartlett says.

He continues by pointing out that the Bible and the Christian tradition have a much broader understanding of healing than we usually realize. "Healing-whether or individuals or communities-is not always the same as cure. In fact," he says, "healing may not take the form of the cure we are seeking. The gift of healing may take us in an entirely unexpected direction."

That gift, Bartlett continues, may be the grace to live with whatever brokenness exists in our lives and those around us. It involves words and actions of newness and wholeness, restoration and renewal. That could be for bodies, minds or spirits but it could just as appropriately be for relationships, communities and churches.

One example where healing was needed at the community level was in a small town where a mill that was the area's economic engine was closed. Bev Brazier, who served a United Church charge in a neighboring town, noted that when a small community experiences a shock, people reach out but they also withdraw. Following the mill's closure there was much community activity such as meetings, conversations, phone calls, etc. However, there was also a reluctance to voice the extent of the pain. People chose to keep their despair private, and good pastoral care had to acknowledge both ways of coping.

The study committee found that healing ministry can be exercised in various ways, active and reflective. Practices such as Reiki, prayer chains and healing prayer circles, energy-touch healing, parish nursing, annointing with oil, laying on of hands, and labyrinth use became more familiar and less intimidating during the committee's mandate. After a few months, questions and skepticism about healing lessened, and were replaced by questions of "how", "who'" and "where."

Individuals and communities soon began to welcome the new emphasis on seeking wholeness through healing ministries. Prayer circles, chains, and services are now more widely used throughout the Atlantic Provinces. From Rexton, N.B. to Trinity United Church, Charlottetown, P.E.I., to St. Matthew's United Church, Halifax, prayer is practiced by many faithful participants seeking the healing of individuals and communities who request it. Wilmot United Church in Fredericton, N.B., offers a contemplative healing service as well as an active prayer group. Prayer chains are activated by specific needs and requests.

Healing services involve a more formal use of intercessory prayer, and often include other practices such as laying on of hands and anointing with oil. Laying-on of hands is the ancient use of touch as a healing act as well as a blessing. St. Matthews United Church, Halifax and Trinity United Church in Charlottetown both practice laying on of hands during their services.

Healing Touch, Therapeutic Touch, and Reiki are similar techniques, which attempt to create balance or harmony of the body's energy to restore wholeness of physical body, emotions, intellect, and spirit. God is asked to guide practitioners of Healing Touch (also called energy healing)as they endeavour to support conventional methods of medical and psychological treatment, and to maintain a healthy balance of self. Practitioners receive training and support from their colleagues in the practice of this healing art. Increasing numbers of Maritime United Churches now support this action-reflective healing ministry.

The response to the committee's investigation demonstrated that United Church people are being drawn to healing ministry. St. Matthew's United Church requested and received a grant to initiate an innovative healing ministry. A part-time position of coordinator of health programs was created to offer education, leadership and act as advocacy for the congregation. Two United Churches in Charlottetown and Summerside, P.E.I., supported an educational event called Healing Pathways, which taught healing touch. At Maritime Conference's annual meeting in Sackville last year, unit members led a focus group of 25 people on "Healing-A Journey Toward Transformation." Many participants were searching for healing themselves and for their "hurting" churches. St.Paul's United Church in Riverview, N.B. has a congregational hospice program. Labyrinth walking is an ancient but revived tool for healing. The healing unit walked a labyrinth as an act of personal healing.

Thoughtful, faithful preparation of congregations and clergy is essential before initiating a healing ministry. Bartlett warned that one of the greatest challenges is often overcoming what is, for many mainline Christians a "foreign and frightening concept."

"As you begin to employ the language of healing, be aware that talk of Christian healing may, for some persons, conjure up images of fraudulent schemes played out against the gullible and the simple. In contrast, a liturgical healing ministry is the sign of the interconnectedness we have in the body of Christ. There is one Healer, but all take part. Anyone present is invited to lay hands on those who wish it. All are encouraged to pray.

The Conference's Healing Unit offers a web page at www.marconf.ca/healing.htm. It features resources, examples of healing services, articles, and hope for congregations considering a healing ministry.

This article was compiled from information provided by Rev. Janice MacLean of Maritimes Conference staff, Rev. Ross Bartlett and Imprints magazine.