There are many interesting strands to the beginnings of the Christian Fellowship of Healing; much of it originates from the Healing Ministry of the Iona Community.   The Iona Community had their winter headquarters at their Community House on Clyde Street, Glasgow where daily prayers were said for the sick. A class of Divine Healing organised by the Revd Fred Smith became a ministers’ only meeting held each Monday afternoon, at which the Reverend Cameron Peddie, minister of Hutchesontown in Glasgow, attended. The Revd Clarence Finlayson also attended one of these ministers’ meetings and one day they visited a member of Clarence’s church together. See Cameron Peddie's book  “The Forgotten Talent”

In 1948 Clarence Finlayson was inducted as minister in the new housing area of Pollok, Glasgow and was fully involved in the early days of the Healing Movement there. Then in 1961 he moved to Grange Church in Edinburgh and also became Chairman of the Fellowship of Healing. This is believed to have been founded by the Revd J Alan C Murray, minister of Tolbooth Church and brother-in-law of George MacLeod, somewhere between 1952 and 1957.

Occasional large scale conferences had been organised that helped to spread awareness of the Ministry of Healing. At one of these gatherings, of approximately 300 people, Cameron Peddie was one of the main speakers. It was from this meeting that the present Christian Fellowship of Healing was launched by Mr Murray. He retired from full-time parish ministry and was then able to devote all his time to the Fellowship. However his own health broke down and just as he was making arrangements to close down the Fellowship the Committee met with him and arrangements were made for them carry on. It was at this stage that Clarence Finlayson, newly arrived in Edinburgh, was asked to act as Chairman. See our library for copies of “Launching Out”.

The Fellowship used rooms in Ainslie Place, monthly meetings being held in Palmerston Place Church. Later a room was rented from the Leprosy Mission in Coates Crescent where a Thursday afternoon clinic was held. Various people were involved with the Fellowship - the Rev Roy McNichol, a few Methodist ministers and a Baptist Minister whose names seem to have escaped our records.

In 1977 the Reverend Ian Cowie took over as Chairman and in 1979 the Fellowship became a full-time ecumenical organisation and were able to employ him full-time and rooms were made available in Morningside United Church.

In 1986 the Fellowship occupied rooms in the Eric Liddell Centre then known as the Holy Corner Church Centre. Then a brief move to Morningside Baptist Church until finding its present home in the house next to Christ Church, Morningside.

In 1988 the Revd Ian Davidson, an Anglican minister, took over until 1996 and in January 1997 the Reverend Jenny Williams, a Church of Scotland minister, was appointed.

1st June 2006 - we move to 14 Johnston Terrace, where we will have the vaulted room accessed from Victoria Terrace, and which is part of the Scottish Episcopal Church, St-Columba's-by-the-Castle.

Chairpersons
J. Alan C. Murray - Founder
Clarence Finlayson. Ian Cowie
Robin Scott, Frances Danskin
Other Recent Chairpersons have been Bert Miller, Barbara Nicholson,
David Shannon, Don Smith and Penny Wooding (current Chairperson)

Full-time Chaplains
Ian Cowie (check the library for his account of 1977-1988)
Ian Davidson - 1988 - 1996
Jenny Williams - 1997 -