History of Healing Pathway

In 1992, Rochelle Graham, a physiotherapist and a healing touch instructor

certified through Healing Touch International, offered to give a talk at
Naramata Centre about the healing work that she felt passionate about.
When her presentation and demonstration drew 40 enthusiasts, the Centre
decided to offer healing touch courses the following summer.

Rochelle felt called by God to teach healing courses within The United Church
of Canada as a means to reclaim the Christian roots that were the
foundation of the church. However, Healing Touch was a worldwide program
for the medical community (primarily nurses) and the basic curriculum was a
medical model that defined energy-based healing in scientific terms. The
course participants at Naramata Centre kept challenging Rochelle to redefine
the content into Christian theology. Gradually, as Rochelle and others
continued to ask, What does it mean to carry on the healing mission of
Jesus? the work evolved. Rochelle recalls, When I asked the participants to
ask God to work through their hands, in comparison to simply the intent to
help, it was as though someone had turned on one hundred light bulbs in the
room. Rochelle was continually amazed at how the curriculum was led by
God and how she knew that her job was to listen and respond. She began
to experience the theology of I am the light of the world.

After conversations with Janet Mentgen, founder and director of the Healing
Touch Certification Program, Rochelle received Janets blessing and
encouragement to develop the Healing Pathway program, with the
understanding that the new Christian-based curriculum would be kept
separate from the Healing Touch Certification Program. By 1996, Rochelle
was offering healing workshops from a Christian perspective throughout
British Columbia and Alberta.

Rochelle explains that it became clear that this work was quickly growing,
and needed a home, and Naramata Centre was the logical location. Out of
a growing enthusiasm in both provinces, Naramata Centre partnered with BC
Conference and Alberta and Northwest Conference to support the

development of the program, and a Healing Pathway administration team

(now called the advisory team) was formed to give guidance and
accountability. Rochelle, with the assistance of the administration team,
continued to formalize the curriculum and in 1998, after years of dedication
and countless volunteer hours, the curriculum was adopted and the program
formally named the Naramata Centre Healing Pathway with Rochelle Graham
as the first Director. She was followed by Catherine Awai, Julie Gerhardt,
Mary Ann Reid and volunteer Healing Pathway Instructors. In 2014 a new
model of leadership was adopted with the establishment of a Coordinating
Circle made up of volunteer Healing Pathway Instructors, advised and
supported by the Instructors Circle, and supported by the Healing Pathway
practitioners working in their communities across Canada.

In 2014 the future of the Centre at Naramata became uncertain.

Encouraged by the then leadership of the Centre, in January 2015, The
Healing Pathway Society became incorporated as a registered society under
the umbrella of the British Columbia Conference of the United Church of
Canada.

The program continues to grow and evolve. Rochelles vision of this work
being carried out as healing ministries in United Church congregations has
been fulfilled. There are now almost 100 active groups practising in
congregations and communities all across Canada. Healing Pathway courses
are taught throughout Canada, as well as in Guatemala.