Sommers:
Let’s go live, now, to Mark Jacobs who has been following the unusual story of the healings that have been occurring at area hospitals. Mark?
(Cut to Mark Jacobs - live feed)
Jacobs:
Leslie, the mysterious intruder was spotted again at Long Island College Hospital in Brooklyn last night. Like before, he arrived quietly and moved quickly from patient to patient, creating a situation that quickly overwhelmed hospital staff. Like before he slipped away before he could be caught. But Long Island College Hospital was quicker to respond than St. Luke’s - Roosevelt. As a result, only about 40 people are checking out this morning after having been touched by the man who has become known as “The Healer.” Today, at a press conference, New York City Mayor Albert Fineman made this statement.
(Cut to taped footage from press conference)
Fineman:
We are all happy when severely ill people are able to leave one of our hospitals healthy. But the approach being used by this man is inappropriate. It creates a difficult situation for the staff, who is unprepared for so many patient calls in one night. It violates the rights of patients who are offended by the intruder’s Christian statements. Everyone in my administration would love to see every hospital in the five boroughs emptied of sick people, but we must ask that this intruder contact someone in authority to schedule his visits so hospitals can make the necessary preparations. We would also ask that this man respect those whose religious beliefs are different from his own.
We are not going to treat this man as a criminal in any way. Neither hospital wants to press charges for unauthorized entry. We just want him to do what he does in an orderly way. My office and the administrative offices of all New York City hospitals will be glad to make arrangements with him.
(Cut to Mark Jacobs - live feed)
Jacobs:
Leslie, the city appears to be sincere that it doesn’t want to make things difficult for The Healer. It just wants to ensure healings are done in a good way.
(Cut to split screen - live feed and studio)
Sommers:
Mark, is the Mayor’s office setting up any kind of a tip line or even encouraging people to call 3-1-1 with information?
Jacobs:
Not at this time. The Mayor’s office is resisting any resemblance between this situation and a criminal investigation or a manhunt. Instead of calling to report information on the intruder, anyone who may know who he is should encourage him to initiate a contact. Every hospital administrator, as well as the Mayor’s Office, says they are willing to work out procedures that will be acceptable both to area hospitals and The Healer.
Sommers:
Thanks, Mark. Keep us informed.
Jacobs:
We’ll be keeping an eye on things here, Leslie. Mark Jacobs, WNYC Live.
(Cut to studio)
Sommers:
When we return from the break, we’ll have Dr. Samuel Estive, Pastor of NYC Seeker Non-denominational Church with us to discuss the situation.
(Cut to commercial break. Return to studio interview lounge)
Sommers:
In our ongoing coverage of the man being called The Healer, we welcome Dr. Samuel Estive, Pastor of NYC Seeker Non-denominational Church to our studios. Pastor Estive is a regular contributor to WNYC News. Sam, thank you for making time to join us.
(Pan out to include Pastor Estive in guest chair)
Estive:
Always a pleasure, Leslie.
Sommers:
What can you tell us about these events, Sam? What is this man doing? How is he doing it?
Estive:
Leslie, I can’t tell you anything about the man. I don’t have any personal knowledge other than what you’ve been reporting and what I’ve been seeing and reading from other news outlets here in The City. There doesn’t seem to be anything underhanded about these events. Barring any new revelations, these appear to be supernatural healings going on.
Sommers:
Miraculous healings?
Estive:
Miracles are generally attributed to God. These could be from God, but we really don’t know yet. Jesus Himself warns us of people who will perform signs and wonders that won’t be from God. Of course, I don’t want to accuse this Healer of anything before I know him. I think the best posture for Christians right now is to wait, and be hopeful.
Sommers:
Is there any reason for you to believe these healings aren’t from God?
Estive:
Right now, Leslie, I’m just confused. The Bible shows us a God who is happy to broadcast what He is doing. Despite the popular phrase that “The Lord works in mysterious ways,” He generally accepts the credit for His outright miracles. On the other hand, if these healings were counterfeit, the intent (according to Jesus) would be to deceive. I would think a non-Godly healer would still claim the healings for God. This anonymity doesn’t fit any pattern I can think of.
In my experience as a Pastor, we’ve prayed for a small number of people who seemed to be miraculously healed. But we’ve prayed for a larger number of people who remain sick. This Healer seems to heal everyone, not just some, but without claiming any source for his power. It’s confusing, and I think it would be best to wait and see.
Sommers:
How will we know whether this is the real deal?
Estive:
Jesus said it would not be possible to deceive the elect. He didn’t say how we should decide. Obviously, we will start with whether this man claims to be healing on behalf of God. After that, we’ll have to see if he behaves in a Godly way, and what the results are. I’m sorry I can’t give you anything more definitive right now.
Sommers:
Not at all, Sam. We’re happy for what you can share. I’m sure we’ll be talking with you about this further as the story unfolds.
(Zoom on Sommers)
Now for a look at our 5-day forecast, here’s WNYC Meteorologist, Lance Chambers.
For Immediate Release
The Congregation at Central Park recognizes the individual known as The Healer as a long-time member of our congregation. Mtembo Nnkoba, a permanent resident of the United States, is a Nigerian immigrant who has been attending our Church for more than 10 years.
Mr. Nnkoba has been surprised at the unhappiness his actions have caused. When he saw the reaction, he immediately contacted our Pastoral staff to discuss what he should do. Mr. Nnkoba states that he received instructions from God, in a vision, to heal as many people as he could. The vision frightened him a great deal. Unsure of what might happen, Mr. Nnkoba tested his gift at St. Luke’s - Presbyterian Hospital without announcing what he was doing. Once he found the gift was real, he healed as many as he could before realizing the problem his presence was causing. His visit to Long Island College Hospital was a further test to see if the healings would continue. He never intended to create difficulties for hospital staff nor to offend anyone. He sincerely apologizes for any difficulty he may have caused.
Our Pastoral staff has determined that visiting hospitals is not the best approach for Mr. Nnkoba to carry out his healings. The Congregation at Central park Church has obtained a permit to assemble on the Great Lawn in Central Park beginning tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m. We will continue these meetings as long as we are able to obtain permits, and as long as God continues to use Mr. Nnkoba to heal. Patients will be seen in the order they arrive. We will not charge, nor will we receive offerings while holding these gatherings. In accordance with Mr. Nnkoba’s wishes, we will not preach and we will not proselytize as these activities are not included in the instruction he was given in his vision.
Mr. Nnkoba will not be conducting any interviews. He emphasizes that this is not about him as a person, but about God’s desire to heal.
For further information and updates, please visit the Web site we’ve established for this purpose at healernyc.org.
Richard Smith, Sr. Pastor
H. Vernon Matthews, Associate Pastor