SARASOTA, Fla. — On a recent Sunday, Phyllis Town, 66, and more than 40 congregants rotated in and out of Sunday service at the Sarasota Center of Light, founded 68 years ago as a nondenominational church that wed Christianity and metaphysical spirituality, and where all ministers are mediums, to receive their own individual “ vibrational healings .” With Ms. Town seated, Rev. Jim Toole, 60, took a breath, closed his eyes and positioned his hands just above the top of her head. For about 10 minutes, Reverend Toole moved his hands around Ms. Town’s upper torso and head mere inches from her face, careful not to touch her. As she sat silently, carefully breathing, he explained that he was channeling energy. When Reverend Toole was finished, he softly whispered in Ms. Town’s ear as a grin stretched across her face.

“I come here because it’s the only time I get touched,” a woman told Ms. Town during one session.

The sentiment of missing someone’s touch resonated with Ms. Town, whose husband “transitioned,” because “it never occurred to me that I was going through that as a widow.” Nearly six years ago, in the wake of his death, she devoted herself to the Center entirely.

[This article is a part of Surfacing, a section that covers the world’s rich and varied communities. Read more here.]