A Colorado man says a brief prayer outside a church in June 2000 changed the course of his life, ending weeks of crippling pain, leaving him unable to walk–that multiple medical providers had been unable to explain–restoring a faith he says he had abandoned decades earlier.
Jerry Raetz recently shared his testimony recounting what he describes as an immediate healing that occurred during the opening of Canyon View Vineyard Church over two decades ago. The miracle has been sustained.
According to Jerry, the weeks leading up to the event were marked by severe physical suffering. He said he experienced intense lower abdominal pain, pain radiating through his hip and leg, and increased difficulty walking that eventually required him to use a crutch. Seeking answers, he visited three different urgent care facilities but received three different diagnoses. One provider believed fluid around the joints in his knee and hip was the source of the problem. Another suspected kidney stones. A third suggested he had cracked vertebrae in his back. With no regular physician and no agreement among the diagnoses, Jerry said he was left uncertain about the cause of his condition, although he visited emergency rooms multiple times.
The turning point came when his roommate, David, encouraged him to attend the opening of Canyon View Vineyard Church in Grand Junction Colorado. Although Jerry said he had little involvement with church at the time, he agreed to go.
While there, he unexpectedly reunited with Jake Wilkinson, at the time the church’s youth pastor– now a pastor in a church in Gunnison, Colorado– whom he had met during an Alpha course two years earlier. Wilkinson, noticed Jerry’s condition and carried him back to his car after the service. Before Jerry left, Wilkinson asked if he could pray for him.
Jerry recalled that Wilkinson placed a hand on his right knee and prayed that he would be able to walk, run, dance, and enjoy life again. During the prayer, Jerry said he immediately felt warmth spread through his leg and hip. He said all the pain vanished instantly.
To test what had happened, Jerry got out of the car and ran across the church parking lot before running back again. He said he was able to move without pain for the first time in weeks.
According to Jerry, Wilkinson quickly redirected attention away from himself, telling him that he had not performed the healing but that God worked through him.
For Jerry, the experience represented far more than relief from physical pain. He said it marked the beginning of a renewed relationship with God after nearly four decades away from church.
Jerry explained that he had been baptized at 12 while attending a summer camp in Chadron, Nebraska, where his uncle served as both a sheriff and a Baptist minister. His family later attended a Southern Baptist church in California, but he said his involvement with church ended around age 13 after a major conflict within the congregation involving church leadership. Following that experience, he said he largely stayed away from church except for weddings and funerals, describing those years as spending about 40 years “in the wilderness.”
He believes the healing he experienced in 2000 restored his faith.
When asked what the experience taught him, Jerry answered simply that it convinced him God is real. He emphasized that his recovery was immediate rather than gradual, saying the pain disappeared, his stomach problems resolved, and his ability to walk normally returned at once. Upon reflection, he said the event is one of several miracles in his life, although he did not recognize some of them until years later.
Although Colorado Revivalist informed Jerry about GMRI, an organization that reviews reported miracles and, when possible, seeks supporting medical evidence, he mentioned that even though the medical reports were recoverable he did not have them immediately on hand due to the length of time since the miracle happened.
Jerry said he is willing to speak with others about his testimony and described himself as a committed follower of Jesus Christ, adding that he frequently wears clothing displaying the name “Jesus” as an expression of his faith.
Jerry Raetz currently attends Living Water Vineyard Church in Clifton, Colorado which features growing healing ministry. Church leaders described plans for a healing school and highlighted ongoing prayer ministry involving members including Su King, Heather Hansen, and Rick Miracle, all local pastors who teach on deliverance and healing ministry. The church has previously offered four- to six-week healing classes and expressed hope that additional teaching and prayer opportunities will continue to support people seeking healing.
For Jerry, however, the defining moment remains the prayer offered in a church parking lot in June 2000βa moment he says transformed both his physical health and the direction of his life.
