Lynley Smith (July 10, 2007)
(Auckland, Nz)—A market place healing ministry has been launched in New Zealand for the first time, in an exciting move to bring the healing power of Jesus to the local community.
Warkworth is the site for one of the first Healing Rooms set up in New Zealand under the auspices of Healing Rooms International. (Photo: Keith Fox, Elim Christian Centre pastor)
These follow the format established by the John G Lake's Healing Rooms in Spokane, USA, 80 years ago, where rooms were set up like a doctor's surgery, with waiting room and surgery, but patients received prayer instead of pills.
Healing rooms are also being established in Auckland, one already at the Elim Christian Centre in Howick, and in Dunedin.
Spokeswoman for the Warkworth venture, Julie Calvert, said the inspiration came to her to set up the room after attending a healing conference in Kaiwaka, run by Healing Rooms, Australia, directors Bob Brasset and Deanne and Franklyn Elliott.
She heard there about the Healing Rooms set up in Australia in 2003, which proliferated to 20 rooms by the middle of last year. In that time over 5000 people had visited the rooms. Globally there are now 442 Healing Rooms in 27 countries.
"I got very excited about the healing concept," she said. "This ministry is non-denominational and is really for the unchurched. No appointment is necessary." Mrs. Calvert said the Church has believed in salvations for years but the belief in the other work of the Cross, including miracles and healings, has been lost. "We believe this will be the start of seeing supernatural healings and miracles in our community as we believe and pray," she said.
In California the faith level is rising to the point Christians are now believing for a cancer free zone. In Australia they have seen amazing healings, she said.
The prayers, or healing room technicians, are taught...to take the authority given to all Christians at the cross to command a healing, as the Holy Spirit leads. "It's about Christians knowing they have the authority over sickness," she said. Michael Mangos and his hematologist wife Hilda arrived in Dunedin six months ago from Adelaide, where they had heard about the Healing Room movement.
Keen to set up rooms in Pukehiki on the Otago Peninsula, they bought a house with nine rooms, and are planning to devote the whole bottom floor to the ministry. "It was like a revelation to us," he said. "This is how we could work for Jesus in Kingdom ministry instead of just in church ministry."
With the rooms set up to go, all the Mangos need is others to catch the same vision and join them. "We need between nine and 12 people if we want to open one day a week," he said. "But they must be people who have the same vision for the ministry."
Mr. Mangos said the pastors in Dunedin were supportive of the venture. The focus of healing rooms is on physical healing, and no counseling or other services are offered. Those needing other services will be referred on to appropriate ministries.
The treatment is simple. Three people pray a prayer of faith for those who come for healing, led by the Holy Spirit. Mr. Mangos said the expectation was for healings to happen, even if it did not happen immediately, as in the case of the 10 lepers in the Bible.
"The Bible said all that came to Jesus were healed," said Mr. Mangos. "The important thing is they came. In other words, they had a desire to be healed, and that is what God was responding to."
The Howick Healing Rooms are open on Friday and Saturday morning, with a team of 18 technicians. Julia Calvert and co-workers Helen Dalziel and Maria Edwards have opened the Warkworth room on Tuesdays from 11.30am to 1.30pm, and the public is invited in from 12 noon to 1.30pm.
"We need more than one room and may have to shift to bigger premises to achieve that, but Christians are coming in for healing already," said Mrs. Calvert. "We will take anyone who comes despite no being officially open yet."
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