Members of St. James Episcopal Church, Black Mountain, NC interested in the ministry of healing prayer, organized the parish's first healing conference in 1978 with The Rev John Park, Warden of OSL, as speaker. During the next 17 years several healing missions were held in Black Mountain, NC. In 1993 The Rev John Rice arrived at St James and continued the healing ministry. In 1995, The Rev Mark Pearson led the first annual "Healing Winds Conference".
In 2001, Rev John Rice left St. James Church, to became the founder and Director of Centurion House, an ecumenical healing ministry in Asheville, NC. He was joined by individuals dedicated to the healing ministry. Centurion House took responsibility for the continuation of the Healing Winds Conference each October. When Centurion House closed in 2006, the Order of St. Luke chapters in Hayesville, NC (The River of Healing) and in Asheville, NC (Mountain Chapter) became sponsors of the conference.
In 2002 the Healing Winds Conference moved to Lake Logan Episcopal Retreat Center in Canton, NC. to accommodate the growing number of attendees and moved again to Lake Junaluska NC Conference Center in 2013 for the same reason. In 2014 the OSL Blue Ridge Mountain Chapter from Hendersonville NC joined as a third sponsor.
The conference has had 26 in person weekends and one zoom conference. Beginning Friday at noon with lunch and ending on Sunday around noon with a worship service of Holy Communion. The weekend is filled with worship, fellowship, prayer and quiet time.
