Lambeth - 'When I am working I am working with God'

[Worldwide Faith News]

Lambeth Daily
Spouses Plenary: 'When I am working I am working with God'
Posted On : August 1, 2008 4:58 PM | Posted By : Webmaster
Related Categories: News


The Revd Jackie Cray, the newly ordained wife of the Bishop of 
Maidstone, Kent, England, introduced the spouses to the session by 
reflecting upon the journey that they had travelled together which 
had led them to this point in the programme. It was, she said, 
absolutely appropriate that they should now turn to look at their own 
spiritual and physical health and how they could best care for those 
in their Dioceses and Provinces.

Before introducing the speakers for the session, Jackie Cray spoke of 
her experience of being supported by the church during a very 
difficult time of ill-health in the family. She said that she and her 
husband were forever grateful for the way in which the church family 
prayed for, cared for and virtually fed them as they lived through 
long and difficult days of illness.

Dr Maria Akrofi was the next to speak. An anaesthetist by profession, 
she explained that she worked in Liverpool and also in Ghana where 
her husband was the Bishop of Accra and the Archbishop of West Africa.

She introduced the spouses to Jesus the Healer but said that, before 
they could become properly acquainted with Jesus the Healer, they 
needed to meet Jesus the Protector. Talking about her work as an 
anaesthetist she said, 'When I am working I am working with Jesus; I 
pray over the patients; I pray over the drugs; I ask Jesus to remove 
the side effects of the drugs and to enhance the good effects. I call 
on angelic assistance and when my patients wake up and say they have 
a nice dream whilst they were asleep, I give thanks to God.'

Maria went on to talk about health and wellbeing and the factors 
which can militate against it. She spoke of the spouses' need to take 
care of themselves, looking after their spirit and soul as well as 
their physical health.

Following Maria's presentation the spouses talked in groups around 
their tables.

Then Professor John Copeland, the President of the World Federation 
for Mental Health,  spoke of mental health as 'well-being' which he 
described as achieved by a successful interaction between the mind 
and the cultural environment; between the mind and its own 
spirituality and the mind and the rest of the physical body and the 
mind and a healthy external environment.

He described some of the symptoms of mental ill-health and said that 
one in four around the world would suffer from mental illness at some 
stage in their life. He spoke of how this led to ill treatment in the 
community, hospitals and prisons.

He illustrated the work of the World Federation for Mental Health 
across the world. At the end of his presentation the spouses had time 
for prayer for themselves and each other and the opportunity for 
anointing with oil.