Healing Line

Healing Line

1987-97: Celebrating 10 Years in Jacksonville!

by Francis MacNutt
Winter 1997

It's so hard to believe it has been 10 years! The Lord has blessed Christian Healing Ministries with many gifts, going all the way back to the amazing way He brought us here in the first place!

It all began in 1986 when Bishop Frank Cerveny of the Episcopal Diocese of Florida and his wife, Emmy, traveled five hours to visit us in Clearwater, Fla. They asked us to move to Jacksonville to open a healing ministry. The invitation in itself was extraordinary: Who has ever heard of a bishop extending such an invitation to a couple who were not members of his church, nor were they even in good standing in their own church at the time?! The word "miracle" is often too easily used, but it was at the very least an extraordinary inspiration for which we will be forever grateful. After several months of prayer, we accepted, and Bishop Frank appointed a committee of church leaders to help us make the move.

In Clearwater, Christian Healing Ministries, which Judith and I founded in 1981, consisted only of the two of us traveling and speak&ing with the help of one secretary in a very small office.

After we moved to Jacksonville, we realized the needs of suffering people were too great and we were too few, reminding us of Jesus looking out over the hurting multitudes who were harassed and depressed like sheep without a shepherd ( end of Matthew 9). Just as Jesus prayed and chose the 12 and then the 72 (Luke 9 and 10), we prayed to learn how to multiply this ministry.

God taught us, and through His grace, everything that has happened with the ministry has expanded our twin Gospel desires: 1) to teach other people how to pray for God's healing of others, and 2) to pray for as many people as we can.

Very similar to the 12 and 72, our staff now numbers about 12 and our prayer ministers almost 100, with an additional 600 intercessors praying for the thousands of prayer requests we receive each year.

In my mind, these gifted, willing people are the greatest blessings God has given our ministry. They are, in Paul's terms, fellow workers in the vineyard, sold out to the Lord. You cannot collect such a staff by advertising in the newspaper for an open position. It is clear that the Lord brought us all together.

CHM is a family, even though we have no committed relationship beyond that of Christian love. We belong to churches as diverse as Roman Catholic and independent Pentecostal, but we are in unity on the basic Christian beliefs. Above all, we have a unity based on divine love. In my experience, such a degree of love and unity in any Christian group is essential.

This love is further manifested in those who pray for CHM on a regular basis, those who support us financially, and especially in our two boards of directors, one local and one national advisory. Without the constant prayer, guidance, support and love of these groups of dedicated people, our mission would not be nearly as successful as it is.

In short, we are thankful to our Lord Jesus Christ for bringing us here, for allowing this ministry to grow in ways that honor Him, for bringing together such a capable and wonderful group of Christians, and for blessing us with such a glorious purpose. In celebrating 10 years of ministry in Jacksonville, we celebrate first and foremost the heart of Christian Healing Ministries: the people God has called to minister!

Francis MacNutt Francis MacNutt is a Founding Director and Executive Committee member of CHM. Winter 1997 Issue