The background of the Healing Rooms
John G. Lake – the Man of Healing – founded Healing Rooms in Spokane, Washington after he retired from missionary work in 1915. During the following 5 years, Spokane was declared to be the healthiest city in the US due to his work.
John G Lake was not so celebrated among the doctors, as his ministry made their income smaller. Healing Rooms operated until the end of 1930’s and then gradually died. In 1990 Cal Pierce started to investigate the spiritual heritage of the city of Spokane and found John Lake and the Healing Rooms. The ministry was founded again and today the original vision by John G Lake is becoming true: Healing Rooms clinics are being founded all over the world and God’s healing love is flowing through them.
Cal and Michelle Pierce are the leaders of the International Healing Rooms ministry. Their vision is to see the Healing Rooms ministry be birthed into every nation and city. Among the core values are unity and mutual love among Christians, co-operation with local churches, trustworthiness, and Biblical Foundation.
John G. Lake lived as a missionary in Africa between 1908-1912. Already as a young boy, Lake was interested in Africa as he was reading about the travels of Stanley and Livingstone. In Africa he founded 625 churches and they estimate that roughly 100.000 had become Christians through his work. Altogether 1250 preachers joined him, and numerous sick were healed through his prayers. After he returned to America, he settled in Spokane and started to train ordinary Christians how to pray effectively for the sick. He founded healing rooms in an old office building and the estimation is that 100.000 healings occurred in those rooms.
According to official data Spokane Washington was “the healthiest city in the world” between the years 1915-1920. The reason for this was the ministry of John G Lake. According to the archives, approximately 100 people were prayed for daily in the healing rooms. Most of these people did not belong to a church. In 1924 Lake was known in the US as the leading healing evangelist. So many healings happened in the churches that they called him “Doctor Lake”. The healing rooms operated after Lake’s death in 1935 for some time but slowly faded.
The ministry restarts at the end of the 90’s
Cal Pierce experienced a personal renewal in his own life in 1996 and started to investigate the history of Spokane and the life of John G. Lake. In this new season of his life God called him to start the Healing Rooms and he also received a vision about the expansion of the work to different nations. Eventually, the first Healing Rooms clinic was opened in the exact same address where John G. Lake did his ministry in the beginning of the century. Decades after his death, John G. Lake’s vision was being fulfilled. Currently there are about 3000 clinics in 70 countries. Lake’s vision was like a seed that fell to the ground. Awhile later, the seed grew into a big tree that started to produce lots of fruit.
The current Healing Room in Spokane
In the beginning of the 90’s, the first Healing Room was situated in Spokane, Washington. Later on, the Healing Rooms headquarters moved to a new building, where the office of the International Association of Healing Rooms is currently located. Inside the building, there is also a bookstore, cafeteria, several prayer rooms and a reception area for the clinics.
The Healing Room in Spokane, Washington and one of the 8 prayer rooms.
More info about the International Healing Rooms Ministry from http://healingrooms.com
