Even the Great Physician needs a little help from doctors and nurses to keep humanity healthy, so members of the Cleveland Ministerial Alliance on Wednesday offered prayers of blessing on the site of Kingwood Medical Center’s future emergency room at the corner of Easy and Houston streets in Cleveland.
Over the hum of construction equipment in the background, local ministers joined hands with staff of Kingwood Medical Center to pray for the success of the project, the safety of the workers, the health of those who enter the emergency room for care, the wisdom of healthcare workers to provide treatment, and the comfort of families who await their loved one’s medical treatment.
“We’ve come to dedicate this property to you. Lord, we pray over physicians, nurses and staff. We pray your anointing on them and the wisdom to handle each and every patient. We pray for the families who will enter this hospital. Heal and comfort them, Father God,” said Rev. Lance Blackwell, chaplain for the City of Cleveland.
His prayer was joined by those offered by Rev. Tommy Ham of First Baptist Church, Rev. Earl Faust of Cornerstone Church, Lanora Purvis of Heaven’s Army Home of Amazing Grace and Rev. James Holt, pastor of Cornerstone Church.
“We work in the area of spiritual growth and development in the community. What you do we can’t do,” Holt said to the Kingwood Medical Center staff before the prayers. “It’s a pleasure to be here today to pray over this area and to speak a blessing over it.”
The ministers went to each corner of the property to symbolically anoint the emergency room with olive oil. Blackwell explained that a few years ago, the Ministerial Alliance made the decision to anoint all the corners of the city. The same oil was used for those rites.
Robert Marmerstein, chief operating officer for Kingwood Medical Center, said after the prayer that he is grateful for the ministerial alliance’s blessing of the project.
“I think it’s great. For the last two years, we’ve been working to get this center built. The community has been so receptive,” he said. “It’s felt so good to be brought into the family so easily and to have the support of Brother Lance and the rest of the team here. We couldn’t be happier.”
The new 10,000-square-foot emergency room, which will be open round-the-clock seven days a week, is projected to open next May.
By Vanesa Brashier, editor@BluebonnetNews.com