First Assembly of God Church in Huntsville introduced its members to a unique form of worship last month. 

The church held a series of five healing services from Jan. 26-29. Lead pastor John Gaston says the goal of this service series was to pray over those who are seeking healing, and to give people opportunities to share about how God has relieved them of their infirmities.  

According to Gaston, 75% of the regular church congregation was in attendance at each service. At least 10 people testified at the event about experiencing greater freedom from pain or improved mobility as a result of the prayers. 

Gaston was pleased with the results—especially since this was the church’s first attempt at such a service. 

“Our church views the experience as a success since it accomplished [it’s] purposes, and because it had a positive spiritual impact on the church and our visitors,” Gaston said. 

Guest speaker Dr. Doyle Jones spoke at the services. According to his website, he is credited with starting 54 churches across the globe—mostly in Latin America and Africa. 

Healing services have been reported across the world among various religions. There are even organizations such as Global Awakening (Christianity), Tibetan Healing Initiative (Buddhism) and National Center for Jewish Healing (Judaism) which conduct religious healing services as their primary focus. 

These services appear to be more common in third-world countries. According to BMC Public health, a driving factor for the popularity of faith healing around the world is the accessibility of healthcare. This leads some of the religious to turn to their gods for healing, rather than traditional medical services. 

This was the first healing service conducted by First Assembly of God Church. Gaston noted the potential for additional healing services in the future.