What you can expect at the Healing Service
About the Healing Service
The Healing Service begins at 6pm each Wednesday night and concludes around 7:20pm.
The Service looks like other church gatherings with Bible teaching, singing and fellowship. But the keynote is the personal prayer available to anyone who asks.
Prayer is the Bible’s word for speaking to God. It is through asking God for healing that God responds to us. Prayer is an expression of our trust that God will meet all our needs. He has shown his love for us and that our relationship has been restored by giving his Son Jesus to pay for our sins.
How may I have prayer? If you would like prayer, at the appointed time within the Service, our prayer team will respond only to your raised hand. Our prayer team will not advise or counsel you. They will pray for your needs.
Who prays? At the Healing Service, we encourage all of our members who are christian to consider joining our prayer team. In order for them to pray for people:
- they must be mature in their faith,
- regular in their attendance,
- have attended and agreed to follow our Code of Conduct Course (called Faithfulness in Prayer renewed annually),
- and approved by the Elders (identified by a red badge).
Our prayer team can be identified by their GREEN or RED badges. They will only pray; women with women and men with men (in pairs where possible).
Leaders/Elders at the Healing Ministry wear RED name badges. Feel free to approach them with questions and prayer requests.
What is the laying on of hands with prayer? Placing a hand on your shoulder as we pray is a symbol of fellowship (Acts 6:6; 28:5). In other parts of Scripture it is a sign of commissioning (Acts 13:3). If you would prefer us not to do this, please let our prayers know when they come to you.
What is prayer with anointing of oil? Instructed in James 5:14, one of our Elders will pray and anoint oil on your forehead. The oil is a physical sign symbolising prayer. Importantly, the key activity is prayer in the name of the Lord.
The oil and laying on of hands are two important symbols God gives us, but they are not essential nor are they mandated (like baptism and communion are). No special powers are transferred – prayer to God is what is special and powerful. It is prayer which God hears. It is prayer which God responds to. It is prayer that shows our dependence on God.
Bible and Sermon? It’s in the Bible that God has fully revealed himself and his love for us by telling us about Jesus. When we meet, we have the Bible and it's teaching as central so that we can be encouraged with the news of forgiveness that is freely available through Jesus’ work on the cross.
Confession of Sins? Healing is often connected to repentance. Our prayer team do not hear confession. That is between you and God (who freely forgives). During the service, there is often a time of confession. There is no more important healing than the forgiveness which Jesus freely offers.
The Service begins at 6pm and usually finishes at around 7:20pm.