Christian Healthcare Conference Set For 2013

The Church of England has announced a major conference for 2013, focusing on the reintegration of faith and health.

The Anglican Health Network (AHN) has announced plans for the conference, tol be held in the National Motorcycle Museum in Birmingham, which will re-emphasise the role of faith in the sphere of public health.

Rev Paul Holley, co-ordinator of the network said: “Christians promote a comprehensive experience of health and healing.

“However, this comprehensive ministry is now largely detached from the medical establishment. Faith has tended to settle into the private sphere and no longer pervades the places in which the sick are cared for.”

The conference will not just draw upon ministry of prayer for the sick, but also look at how members of the church are offering complementary services, such as encouraging healthy lifestyles, and offering support to those in ill health or distress.

And organisers promise that the conference programme, which is to be set around the three key themes of: ‘Health, dying and human flourishing’; ‘The healing ministries of the church amongst individuals and communities’; and ‘The church in the governance and delivery of health services,’ will bring focus to the wide variety of health and healing initiatives offered by parishes, healing agencies and Christian health professionals throughout the country.

In particular there will be a focus on ministries which focus on a holisitic approach to health care, which takes into account the ‘whole person.’

AHN claims that some organisations have demonstrated improved recovery rates when the healing environment addresses the emotional, spiritual, psychological and physical conditions of the person together.

The conference will hear from a variety of people involved in the health care arena, from hospital chaplains, to Christian GPs.

Rev Holley added: “Christian health professionals are now themselves seeking new avenues to reconnect the scientific with the spiritual. GP practices offer spiritual support from their surgeries. Parish nurses work with churches to strengthen the interaction between pastoral care and health services”.