History
As with any faith or religion, prayer is a significant cornerstone as to how we spiritually seek healing and support ourselves. Most of us as spiritual sojourners, at the very least, have had some interaction and application of prayer in our lives. Whether or not from our childhood faith and direct practice; or from a visceral media experience, at one time or another we have either witnessed or felt the unique power of prayer.
Biblical history is filled with lamentations and invitations to pray to a higher deity for salvation; as well as testimonials to the power of prayerful intervention. Within New Thought, our approach to prayer is more affirmative than intercessory, more directive than supplication.
This ministry team consists of specially trained and licensed practitioners and ministers who have a rich history in volunteering their time to provide personal and confidential affirmative prayers to people requesting help.
Centers for Spiritual Living practices and offers a form of prayer known as “Spiritual Mind Treatment” which is a five-step affirmative prayer. Within this New Thought organization, is a department called World Ministry of Prayer that has been providing compassionate and prayerful support to individuals for more than 85 years. The roots of this prayer team began in Los Angeles, California when Dr. Ernest Holmes and his first two practitioner graduates, his mother, Anna and his friend and colleague, Reginald Armor decided to use one of the smaller offices to take phone calls and do healing prayer work. Anna Holmes took the Monday, Wednesday and Friday shifts and Armor was responsible for Tuesday, Thursday and Saturdays –leaving Sundays for Ernest to do his lectures and classes. This prayer trio became known as the “Healing Department”.
In February 1927, the Healing Department shared offices with other licensed practitioners in the Institute’s building on New Hampshire Street and Sixth Avenue in Los Angeles.
1981, William Colson—who was then President of United Churches of Religious Science—hired practitioner Marsha Mendizza to run this department. Later, it was Marsha who re-named this team as the World Ministry of Prayer.
We know that life can be challenging and the only thing that may help to get you back to center is Prayer. We believe very strongly in the power of Affirmative Prayer. This belief and knowing comes from seeing or hearing about the many demonstrations or testimonies in the lives of people around the world.
Affirmative Prayer is “a recognition of Spirit’s Omniscience, Omnipotence, and Omnipresence, and a realization of humanity’s unity with Spirit…” (Ernest Holmes, Science of Mind textbook, pg. 149).
By writing your own Affirmative Prayer you make it yours. The main thing is to feel into every one of the five steps. It is not the words that you use that make the prayer powerful, it is the feeling tone behind the words.
In the teachings of Science of Mind and Spirit we believe there is only One Life and each of us is a unique expression of this One Life. Therefore, when you hear a prayer spoken in the first person “I”, know that we are all the “I”. These prayers are yours. These prayers have never been spoken before, and none were scripted. Click on the player under title for recorded prayer. You’ll be glad you did.