Fort Wayne woman readies prayer ministry

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Getting involved What: Encounter Life Center seeks volunteers to go through training to become members of Prayer House teams that will pray with and over people. The Prayer House ministry will be offered 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturdays, beginning Oct. 20, in the chapel at Lutheran Hospital. When: Training will be 3-6 p.m. Sunday. Where: Classroom 2, Lutheran Hospital, 7950 W. Jefferson Blvd. Cost: Free. Applications must be filled out by Friday; go to www.encounterliving.com to get an application. Information: Email tia.buchanan@encounterliving.com or info@encounterliving.com. Note: Free Prayer House prayer team training will be offered from 3-6 p.m. on the first Sunday of the month at Lutheran Hospital. Advanced “Power of the Kingdom” classes are available for a fee; learn more at www.encounterliving.com.

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Despite being a member of Fort Wayne's White family, which was well-known for its music ministry, Tia Buchanan never thought she had any special spiritual gifts.

That changed in 2006 when she became involved with an International Association of Healing Rooms location in Nashville, Tenn., first seeking help with a health problem and then while receiving prayer team training and as a trainer for new volunteers.

“It really was a transformative experience,” Buchanan says.

Now she wants to help others with the spiritual gifts she found in herself. Beginning Oct. 20, Buchanan and trained volunteers will offer a Prayer House from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturdays in the chapel at Lutheran Hospital on West Jefferson Boulevard.

Buchanan grew up in Fort Wayne, moved to Nashville in 2005 and returned here when she married in 2009. She since founded and has served as president of Encounter Life Center, which offers training in using spiritual gifts. She has worked the last three years toward starting the Prayer House program.

Five religious denominations have joined the effort, and she hopes more do so in the future.

Here is how the Prayer House will work, she said:

•A long table holding trays will stand outside the entrance to Lutheran Hospital's chapel, which is off the Main Lobby. People can write a prayer request on a sheet of paper and place it in a tray.

•A prayer team of three to four people will take the prayer request and pray over it and the person. The team also will spend 30 minutes praying with the person. Team members will share with the person what help or advice God placed in their hearts for that person.

“Every person leaves with what God wants for you,” Buchanan said.

Chairs will be provided for people waiting for their individual time with a prayer team, she said. If they have a lot of people seeking prayer, teams may divide up into groups of two to help the large number of people more quickly.

Prayer House is open to anyone — patients, families, staff and people from the community, Buchanan said.

She hopes Encounter Life Center eventually can offer more ministries in the city.

For now, she'll monitor Prayer House usage to see whether they need to offer it more hours or days and whether to expand it to other hospitals.

kkilbane@news-sentinel.com