Healing Ministries

Healing Prayer Team
One of the quietly exciting developments over the past year and a half in the church life has been the Healing and Prayer Ministry. We offer prayer chains, Healing and Prayer Team, Healing and Prayer service, and team fellowship. This ministry is available, and intended for, those who are at cross-roads, in the midst of storms, test, or trials and who wish to engage their own healing and prayer journey with the support of our team. The ministry is available for those who feel a calling and gift of the Spirit to devote to Christ and the Church. Please see below for ongoing activities. If you wish to speak with someone on the team you may call the church office and speak with a pastor or Nita Standke. You may also call Doug Stewart at 818-920-2601.

What is Healing Ministries?
Healing Ministries is a prayer ministry of the First Presbyterian Church of Granada Hills. We believe that God cares about our bodies and emotions as much as God cares for our souls. We believe that God’s healing power through Jesus Christ did not end with the first century church but still lives in the body of Christ today. Our ministry is to pray for those in need and faithfully ask God to be at work. Healing prayer is not offered in place of medical treatment; we believe that in seeking healing we should pursue doctors and prayer with equal vigor.

Who is the Prayer Team? Our Prayer Team is made up of people like you who believe in the power of prayer. We are lay people of the First Presbyterian Church who are called to the ministry of prayer. We meet monthly for training and encouragement. Our ministry is to listen to you, to ask boldly in prayer for what you need, and to trust in faith that God is at work in you.

How can I receive prayer?
Two members of the Prayer Team are available every Sunday morning after each worship service. You can find us in the northeast corner of the sanctuary (near the piano). We will meet you at the kneeling bench behind the privacy screen. If there are others waiting for prayer, you may be seated in the pews at the front of the church near the kneeling bench. All prayer requests are confidential.

What can I expect to happen? Our prayer team will ask how they can pray for you. Because we want to pray for causes and not just symptoms, they may ask if there is a cause to your problem for which they can pray. They will ask if they may lay hands on you or anoint you with oil. You may say “no” to either if you are not comfortable. The laying on of hands is how healing occurred in the Bible. There is nothing magical about our hands, but they are conduits for God’s power to pass from God to you. The laying on of hands does not heal the sick; it is Christ who heals the sick.

How does healing occur?
Sometimes healing is instantaneous, most often it is a process. Some with physical ailments may need to come weekly for prayer. Sometimes God does not bring healing and we do not know why, but we do know the Bible teaches us to ask in faith. Healing can only occur when we are totally yielded to Jesus Christ and the presence of his Holy Spirit. If you have never asked Jesus Christ into your life and received his forgiveness for all of your sins, for you that is the first step toward healing.

How can I help the healing process?
You can help the Prayer Team discern how best to pray for you. Sometimes physical problems are caused by emotional or spiritual problems. We want to seek healing for every area of your life: Mind, body, spirit and emotions. You can help us know how to pray by examining what is going on within you. You may need to open yourself up to forgiveness, allowing God to forgive you as you forgive others.