Earlier this year, several members at St. John’s expressed a desire to be trained as healing prayer and healing anointing ministers. Since the rubrics in the Prayer Book state that “a deacon or a lay person may perform the anointing using oil blessed by a bishop or priest;” knowing that St. John’s receives chrism oil and oil of unction that has been blessed by our Bishop at the annual Chrism Mass every Holy Week; following Diocesan protocol, the Rev. Terry Dinovo, Dave Borton, and the Rev. Craig Lemming decided to organize a Healing Prayer and Healing Anointing training for those who are called to this ministry. Terry and Craig contacted the Rev. Joanie Delmater, a trained healing touch practitioner who works with the healing team at Episcopal Homes in St. Paul, and Joanie led a Healing Prayer and Healing Anointing training for eight lay ministers on Saturday, November 23 at St. John’s.
“We all are in need of healing — physical, emotional, and/or spiritual. As a new member of the church, I am delighted to serve as an instrument of healing through this ministry and to connect with parishioners in a deeply meaningful way.” — Wendy Fernstrum
“When I arrived for the training I was full of trepidation and thought I was just trying it out tentatively. However, when I did the healing prayer and anointing practice, with all of us sharing real concerns of the heart, and when I received the blessing comfort and then offered this to others, I was very deeply moved by the interconnecting spirituality. I was hooked. Practicing Healing Prayer and Healing Anointing made me deeply want to continue in this ministry as much as God grants me time to do.” — Jennifer Tianen
“I feel led to this ministry because I have been on the receiving end and I know what a blessing it is. From 2015 – 2018, I had 12 surgeries. Some were relatively minor but at least four were pretty “heavy duty.” In addition, I had three emergency hospitalizations. Healing prayers have enabled me to go into these with full confidence that I was in the Lord’s hands. And the outcomes have overall been very positive. I want others to be able to experience the blessings that I received.” — Gil Lautenschlager
“In the Healing Prayer and Healing Anointing Training, I realized we are all called to healing each other through deep, caring, non-judgmental listening; bearing witness, blessing, and anointing. These beautiful selfless acts reverberate in every direction. All are touched; even if only by Christ’s hem, and reciprocal healing manifests.” — Kathy Brown
“For me, the healing ministries need to once again come alive. They were an integral part of Jesus’ ministry. Jesus invites us, no, commands us in Scripture to heal the sick. It is at our wooden rail where we ask the Living Christ to touch the life of a St. John’s parishioner and allow God’s healing to enter in. What a blessing to be part of that.” — Dave Borton
*Originally published in the January/February 2020 edition of the Evangelist.
