Practitioner, Pioneer, and Champion of Prayer
July 2024 interview published in April 2025 as part of the CCHF Legacy Series with accompanying article by Steve Noblett.
We can trace the beginnings of the modern movement of Christian clinics that integrate faith with medical care for those experiencing poverty back to a few clinics that were opened in the mid-to-late 1970s. Bill Morehouse was one of those pioneers. He started His Branches Community Health Center, a clinic that would serve his vulnerable neighbors in Rochester, New York, and do it in a way that honored Christ and shared his transforming love with broken people. I met Bill about twelve years ago and instantly fell in love with his infectious joy and faith. He does love people, and he spent more than forty years serving and praying for patients in Western New York. I hope you’ll enjoy our chat as much as I did.
Bill said that in over forty years of patient care, he only had two patients who said they were uncomfortable with him praying for them, and he respected their decision. Our patients need and want someone who genuinely loves and respects them to pray for them. Prayer is a powerful and welcome tool in the Christian health provider’s toolkit. Without question, Bill Morehouse is a master at it, but he didn’t start that way. He got better at it over time.
If you’re not comfortable praying with your patients, reach out to Bill or any of us at CCHF. We can help you get the training you need to start having meaningful encounters where the presence of God is honored and where people sense his love and power in their lives. By the way, Bill typically saw 20 or more patients a day and still found time to pray for them. And his patients were no different in complexity or spiritual health than yours. My prayer is that you will grow in love, joy, and zeal for Christ and your patients and that you’ll have the joy of seeing Christ be the savior and the answer to your patient’s complex needs.
If you want training, encouragement, and support, we’re here to help. Visit our website, drop us a note, give us a call, come to a conference, and be part of this growing movement of living out the gospel through health care among those who are at risk and neglected.
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