THE Rev Colin Jee says he is living proof of the power of faith healing.

Now he wants other people to put their medical worries into the hands of the church.

Mr Jee, Rector of Ludgershall, near Thame, said he has conducted healing services for other people and seen good results.

But six years ago he put his faith in it when a cough which developed after an operation troubled him for a decade.

"I followed advice from the Epistle of James and went to the church elders - the churchwardens - and we annointed my chest with oil and prayed together.

"I immediately felt the chest was a bit better but it is only now, five years on, that the whole thing is completely better.

"I do not need an inhaler that I have used for years.

"I firmly believe it was the power of prayer which managed the healing.

"I have used it in the past for my wife, Penny, and for other parishioners and there have been very good results.

"I am not decrying the medical profession, for they do grand and dedicated work, but sometimes - as with my chest - they do not know everything.

"Healing is an integral part of the church's teaching and work, and we should use it more often."

Mr Jee, who has been at Ludgershall for more than 30 years, and his wife hope to retire this year.

Other churches in the area have faith healing sessions. The Rev Chris Denham at Haddenham has introduced monthly services. The Bible says Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.

Therefore confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The power of a righteous man has great power in its effects" - James 5.14-16. Five steps to healing

Contact the church elders - in most villages the two churchwradens are the nearest thing;

Be prepared to confess your sins;

They must pray boldly for healing

Ask God to glorify His name by healing the person in question;

Thank God for the medical profession and the dedicated work they do.

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