Prayer and Healing Ministry

PRAYER MATTERS in the Faith We Follow

As Christians our life is based on the conviction that it is through Jesus Christ that we come to know who God is and who we ourselves truly are.

Everything we do is centred on the living Christ, who is presented with us in the sacraments and in the Word of God and in our common life together as we worship and witness.

Prayer is at the heart of our connections to each other and to God, so prayer matters.

Facilities

There is a prayer corner in church under the Ethiopian icon at the front of church, where candles can be lit for concerns that weigh on the heart.

We are working to open our doors more often to enable those in the community or those passing through to access the building for a quiet space for reflection and for prayer.

Healing Ministry

Jesus said:

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor."

Luke 4:18-19

The healing ministry of the Church is a Gospel imperative. Jesus commissioned his disciples to heal the sick on two occasions: (Matthew 10.5‐15, Mark 6.7‐13; Luke 9.1‐5; 10.9). He explicitly linked healing the sick with going out into the community to proclaim the coming of the Kingdom (Mark 6:13; Matthew 4.23, 9.35‐10.8). Consequently, the response of Christian communities to people’s needs for healing is one of the most important ways in which the Gospel is proclaimed to contemporary society. In our Sunday service healing ministry is always available from one of the two Eucharistic ministers leading the service. You may wish to have prayer for yourself; or to seek prayer for someone else you know who is in need; or you might wish to seek healing for our broken world – the nations known to us that are torn apart by war and conflict; or to pray for the environment, seeking restoration of damage done. Whatever concerns you have, God knows them too. Jesus carries our prayers to God. It is He who invites you to come forward. For more information on our healing ministry please click here.

A Personal Challenge

Spend an hour with God? It’s easier than you think. Break it up into 5 minute blocks and focus on the following during each 5‐minute segment:

1. PRAISE

Start your prayer hour by praising the Lord. Praise Him for things that are on your mind right now. Praise Him for one special thing He has done in your life in the past week. Praise Him for His goodness to your family. (Psalm 34:1)

2. WAITING

Spend this time waiting on the Lord. Let Him pull together reflections for you. Think about the hour before you and the things you want the Lord to do in your life. (Psalm 27:14)

3. CONFESSION

Ask the Holy Spirit to show you anything in your life which might be displeasing to Him. Ask Him to point out attitudes that are wrong, as well as specific acts for which you have not yet made a prayer of confession. Now confess that to the Lord and claim 1 John 1:9 so that you might be cleansed for the remainder of the hour before you, and then pick up and read the Word. (Psalm 51:1‐19)

4. READ THE WORD

Spend time reading promises of God in the Psalms, in the prophets, and passages on prayer located in the New Testament. Check your concordance. (Psalm 119:97)

5. PETITION

This is general request for others, praying through the prayer list, the prayer cards, or personal prayer interest on behalf of yourself and others. (Hebrews 4:16)

6. INTERCESSION

Specific prayer on the behalf of others. Pray specifically for those requests of which you are aware. (Romans 15:30‐33)

7. PRAY THE WORD

Now take the Scriptures and start praying the Scriptures, certain sections of Psalm 119 lend themselves beautifully to prayer expression. (Psalm 119:38‐46)

8. THANKSGIVING

Spend these minutes giving thanks to the Lord for things in your life, things on behalf of the church, things on behalf of your family. (Philippians 4:6)

9. SINGING

Take your hymnal and sing a prayer song, sing a praise song, sing a song regarding soul winning or witnessing. Let it be a time of praise. (Psalm 59:17)

10. MEDITATE

Ask the Lord to speak back to you and keep a paper and pen handy, ready to relate the impressions that He makes upon your life. (Psalm 63)

11. LISTEN

Spend time merging the things you have read from the Word, the things you have prayed, the things you have thanked the Lord for, the things that you have been singing, and see how the Lord brings them all together to speak to you. (I Samuel 3:9‐10)

12. END WITH PRAISE

Praise the Lord for the time you have had to spend with Him. Praise Him for the impressions that He has given you. Praise Him for the prayer requests He raised up in your mind. (Psalm 145:1‐13)