By Amy Ryberg, Healing Prayer Ministry member, and Pastor Manisha Dostert
Each week in our lives brings unexpected experiences and events and each Sunday, there are prayer ministers who will help you pray for whatever is on your heart and mind.
Christ Church Cranbrook’s Healing Prayer Ministry is a ministry first and foremost about prayer. Everyone needs a prayer. Prayer is our way of taking our human lives on earth and lifting them up to the realm of the Divine Presence. Anyone can pray, but sometimes it is helpful to have
someone say a prayer for you.
Prayer Ministers have been called and trained in this ministry, to be vehicles of love, healing, support, and connection to the whole congregation at CCC. There is nothing too small, too overwhelming or too difficult to ask to be prayed for. This is a ministry which seeks to fulfill St. Paul’s appeal to pray without ceasing, and in doing so, Prayer Ministers seek to be channels of the Holy Spirit. Every Sunday during the 10am service, Healing Prayer is offered during the Eucharist. Here is how it works:
1.Have Eucharist at any of the stations.
2.Walk to the back of the church to the room called the Baptistry, with the most beautiful mosaic ceiling and the cloisonne font surrounded by places to kneel. You can stand or kneel.
3.Tell one or two trained, authorized healing prayer ministers, members of the CCC congregation, for whom or what you would like pray. You can pray for yourself, another person, a group, an idea or cause. You can ask for healing prayers for an illness or infirmity that is physical, emotional, or
spiritual. You can pray in thanks, in worry, in confusion, in wanting consolation or comfort, or for
anything at all.
4.Let the ministers know if you would like to have your forehead anointed with sacramental healing oil and whether we can “lay hands on you” on your shoulder, arm, hand or head.
5.Receive the prayer meant especially for you. We will keep your prayer requests confidential except for the clergy.
6.Return to your seat with hopefully a sense of peace. God is at work in your life.If you have any questions about this ministry, please feel free to ask Healing Prayer chairperson, Stephanie Rose (2Rose@sbcglobal.net) or any of the clergy. If you are interested in applying and being trained to be a Prayer Minister on Saturday, August 24, please contact Pastor Manisha (mdostert@christchurchcranbrook.org). And if you want prayer on Sunday, just show up after Eucharist at the 10am service, or go to any service during the several designated healing prayer weekends throughout the worshiping year. The Lord is with you. Let us pray.