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Healing Ministry

Healing ministry in the Church of England has received a lot of publicity as a result of the publication in 2000 of the General Synod report, A Time to Heal. This excellent report has caused many parishes to think again about the healing ministry and their response to it. Common Worship also brought the first ever official liturgy for a healing service approved by General Synod, which has provided a unique opportunity for ministry. 

Archdeaconry Healing Advisors (see below) encourage and develop the ministry of healing and wholeness.  They are happy to visit parishes or deaneries to talk about healing ministry. The number of archdeaconry healing advisors has also grown, not only because there are now four archdeaconries, but also because we wanted to appoint a hospital and hospice healing advisor. 

The ministry of healing and wholeness continues to grow.

The diocesan Healing Training Day is on 17 October 2009 from 10am to 4pm at St Nicholas, Burnage. It will be based on Celtic spirituality and a group from Iona will share with us. Led by Alison Adam, Pat Bennett and Ruth Burgess, there will be workshops and a final service of healing and wholeness. All are welcome and the cost is £10 for the day. 

Tony Butterworth, Healing Advisor for Bolton, said, "Some people think that Christian healings never happen today, and other people think that physical healing will always happen when Christians ‘pray in faith’. The history of the church and the teaching of the Bible is much more complex than either of these cases and it means that we need to spend time both in prayer and meditation to consider what the healing ministry is actually about. There must be a place for prayer, and for the laying on of hands, as well as for the medical profession and nursing care. These do not stand in opposition to one another, but rather complement one another, bringing wholeness into the life of the individual."

See also the Chaplaincy page for information about hospital and hospice visiting.

Diocesan Healing Advisors

Bolton Archdeaconry (and coordinator)
Revd Tony Butterworth, Christ Church Vicarage, Schofield Street, Leigh. Tel: 01942 673619; email tony@penningtonchurch.com

Manchester Archdeaconry
Revd Celia McCulloch 07943 366331

Rochdale Archdeaconry
Revd Lindsay Owens, 155 Kings Road, Ashton-Under-Lyne OL6 8EZ. Tel: 0161 330 1935; email ann_lindsay.owens@virgin.net

Hospital and Hospice Advisor Revd Mark Brackley 01204 663066