An investigation into the phenomena and practices of spiritual ...

(2004) who describes practitioners moving their hands in a downwards motion, a fewinches from the body of the recipient and in popular literature such as by Lawrence(2001:120-121), a practising healer who describes the energy field as the aura.The observations and interviews showed that the services in COGIC were not structured ashealing services. „Laying on of hands‟ tooerent forms, using different methods suchas placing the hand on the forehead, or a position where there is pain, such as the back, theknee, or the abdomen. The same approach was used in the URC although it took place inspecial healing services and the rituals were more focused. The Pentecostal church doesnot have a structured and organized method of „laying on of hands‟ whereas the URCchurch has a regular healing service every 5 th Sunday of the month where church attendeesare invited to the ritualistic activity of healing prayer accompanied by the „laying on ofhands‟ by the minister. In the observations in both churches there were instances when oilwas used to anoint those requesting healing.Both congregations, however, draw deeply on biblical narratives of healing. For example,this extract from observation of a healing service in the URC illustrates calling on theelders to use laying on of hands to heal:The healing session starts with healing by laying on of hands (touch) for one of the elderswho moved forward for healing.The minister prayed and the other elders agreed with him in prayer. Each of the fourelders and the minister laid hands on each member of the congregation who movedforward for healing.(one elder per member of the congregation) The minister also laid265