The sick and desperate come by the thousands because they have heard stories of miracles. They line up for hours at Cleveland Catholic church altars for the touch of a 50-year-old Bay Village man who says that from the time he was a boy, he knew he would do something great for God. Dr. Issam Nemeh is not surprised by the turnout. "Even as a small child, I saw thousands coming," he said in short, quiet phrases that carry the accent of his native Damascus, Syria. "I always knew this was my calling." Nemeh (pronounced Name-y) will minister tonight at a healing service that begins at 9 at St. Bernadette Church in Westlake. Who is this balding father of four who says he wants to help God heal people physically and spiritually before he achieves his goal - "to die for Jesus"? He rejects the label of faith healer. "The only healer is the Holy Spirit," Nemeh told The Plain Dealer in his first public interview. He says he is nothing special, that anyone can be an instrument of God's healing. "I offered up my life to God in total surrender. When I say, 'your will be done,' I mean it fully," he said. Nemeh is an acupuncturist with a modest office in Rocky River who charges his patients $250 per office visit. In his healing ministry, he says, he takes no offerings at services. Church officials don't know of him taking offerings. He is also a physician who does not practice. Nemeh holds medical licenses with a specialty in anesthesiology in Ohio and Illinois.
View: Full Article | Source: Cleveland.com