Built on the Rock is a series of webinars for resident doctors

In a rapidly changing cultural landscape, we often feel caught in the tension between our Christian faith and a secular workplace. The NHS and wider society seem to be increasingly at odds with biblical principles or even faith in general. But how can we, as Christian doctors, navigate this cultural divide while staying true to our faith? 

In this series, we’ll explore some of the questions we face as a Christian in modern medicine, including: 

• How do I stay faithful to Jesus when cultural pressures clash with biblical truths? 

• What does it look like to engage with critical theory, postmodernism, and secular ideologies in healthcare? 

• How can I advocate for life when the ethics of abortion, euthanasia, and patient care are hotly debated? 

We’d love you to join us in this series of online talks on the first Monday of the month where we’ll provide foundational biblical principles to help us wrestle with the big questions life and medical practice can pose.  

Next session:

Monday, 9 July 2025 | 7.30 pm to 8.30 pm on Zoom

Divine detours: navigating disappointment, disillusionment and decisions in the Junior years | John Greenall

About the upcoming session

Many people believe that the decision to become a doctor is the biggest decision we’ll have to make, a straightforward path to follow. We map out the future and are told we can achieve our goal. Yet, as we navigate our junior years, we encounter a cascade of decisions: Which training program should I choose? Where should I live? Should I take a year out? Along the way, disappointments can emerge. The specialty we thought we were called to just isn’t as we expected. Ill health may lead to time out or impact our capacity. Our faith may falter. The intensity of working in the NHS can leave us feeling drained and burned out. Plans to live and work abroad may unravel, causing us to question God’s purpose for our lives.

In moments like these, how do we continue to trust God? How can we make decisions that reflect His will when we are faced with disillusionment and disappointment? And what sustains us and enables us to thrive during these challenging seasons?

John Greenall is a Paediatrician in London and former Head of Student Ministries at CMF

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Save the dates:

• 4 August – FY1 support, fellowship, and encouragement
• 1 September – Clinical risk and the Christian medic (Matt Baines)
• 6 October – Gender and identity (Julie Maxwell)
• 1 December – Burnout and resilience (Steve Sturman)

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Join Us for a Time of Prayer and Updates on the Middle East

You are invited to an online gathering to pray for the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. This event provides a space for our community of believers to unite in faith, lifting our hearts and voices to God for peace and healing.

Participants will have the opportunity to join small prayer groups and hear firsthand updates from members involved in healthcare work in the region.

Thank you to everyone who has supported previous CMF prayer calls.

Upon registering for the event, you will receive a Zoom link via email on the day of the meeting. We look forward to coming together in prayer and fellowship.

Dates: Monday 15 to Wednesday,  17 September 2025 (5pm Monday till 2pm Wednesday) 

Venue: Highgate House, Northamptonshire, Grooms Lane, Creaton, Northampton NN6 8NN 

This three-day residential conference takes place at a new Christian centre in Northamptonshire, offering ensuite accommodation, meals, refreshments, inspiring talks, diverse seminars, and activities – all set in a beautiful and peaceful environment. 

This conference is for Christian doctors, nurses, and midwives who are approaching retirement, reducing clinical commitments, or already retired – seeking to embrace this new season with purpose, joy, and a deepening call to shine for Christ. 

Shining ever brighter – navigating new seasons of calling with purpose and joy  

We pour so much of ourselves into medicine – our time, energy, and sense of purpose. But as the shape of our work changes, whether by reducing clinical commitments or stepping into retirement, how do we continue shining ever brighter in God’s calling (Proverbs 4:18)? How do we stay fresh and fruitful in this next stage (Psalm 92), invest in others through maturing and mentoring (Titus 2), and navigate the physical realities of ageing while keeping our eyes on grey hairs and glory (2 Corinthians 4)?   

This conference is an opportunity to reflect, pray, and plan for what’s ahead – letting go with grace, stepping forward with purpose, and shining ever brighter each day in God’s unfolding story.  

Speaker: Chris Green is the vicar of St James, Muswell Hill, in north London. An experienced Bible teacher, speaker, and author of around a dozen books, he’s also approaching this next season himself. He wants to do more than paint some paintings and walk the dog! In three sessions, we’ll explore what the Bible has to say about this transition and consider some practical ways to serve God fruitfully beyond employment. 

Talks

1. Psalm 92:1-15 Fresh and fruitful – How to approach a healthy next age 

1. Titus 2:1-15 Maturing and mentoring – What might best fill our diaries? 

1. 2 Corinthians 4:1-18 Grey hairs and glory – Physical realities and our wonderful future 

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View the programme

Early Bird discount close on 3 July 2025 so book now to save!

All Bookings close on 21 August 2025

No refunds will be paid for cancellation after 21 August 2025. If you cancel your booking before 21 August 2025, payment will be returned with the deduction of a £40 administration fee.

For more details or enquiries, contact:

events@cmf.org.uk

Tel: 020 7234 9660

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RASH is a day course for all health professionals who want to support the health, system and spiritual needs of refugees and asylum seekers in the UK.

God calls us to care for the stranger in our midst, to protect orphans and widows, to ‘act justly and love mercy’. (Micah 6:8) How does this translate to the way we care today?

Over the past 20 years, hundreds of thousands of refugees have come to the UK, with many seeking asylum. The ‘Refugees and Asylum Seekers Health Course’ (RASH) aims to equip Christian healthcare practitioners and others to:

• Improve knowledge of the healthcare needs, responses and challenges for refugees and asylum seekers in the UK
• Hear examples of good practice
• Foster a dialogue among those working with refugees and asylum seekers for mutual encouragement and support
• Inspire creative ways to engage with health systems for better provision, support, and care

The programme is an interactive learning experience led both by those who have been refugees and those who are healthcare professionals in this field. Local charities or churches working with refugees and asylum seekers will also find this day useful. If you encounter people from outside the UK in your everyday practice, then this is the day for you.

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Planning Your Medical Elective Evening
Join us for an evening of insight dedicated to helping you plan your medical elective. This event will feature hosts who will share their own elective experiences, provide valuable advice, and answer any questions you may have.

Whether you’re seeking guidance on choosing a location, navigating logistics, or maximising your learning experience, this is the perfect opportunity to gather practical tips and connect with others who have been through the process already.

Don’t miss out on this chance to prepare for your elective!

Open to all CMF Members

The health service day to day feels chaotic; too much demand, not enough resource, changing priorities and pressure, pressure, pressure……

How do we respond as Christians?

All our speakers have experience at the sharp end of the complexities and challenges of modern healthcare, but have also thought deeply about their faith and how to apply it when ‘the rubber hits the road’ on Monday morning.

8.00     Introduction                                                                    Chris Holcombe

8.05     My Journey through Chaos (video)                            Catriona Waitt

8.15     My Journey through Chaos – update                         Catriona Waitt

8.20     A Christian Response to the NHS in crisis                Oge Chese

8.35     The theological basis to the NHS in crisis                  Mark White

8.50     Discussion and prayer

Register in advance for this meeting:

Speakers

Chris Holcombe
Chris is a consultant breast surgeon and clinical lead for breast services in Swansea, and has held multiple leadership roles in the NHS locally, regionally and nationally.

Out of work he enjoys time with grandchildren, in the mountains or on the coast in West Wales and is involved in his local church and leads CHLN on behalf of the Christian Medical Fellowship.

Catriona Waitt

Is Professor of Clinical Pharmacology and Global Health with a particular interest in medication use among pregnant and breastfeeding women. Cat runs a research group in Uganda with collaborations around the world; and is a mother of five. 

Perhaps when you were younger it felt extremely exciting to ‘live on the edge’, and take bold steps to live by faith in a world which seems increasingly disinterested in spiritual things. But now you face increasing leadership responsibilities at work, in church and in the community, and are navigating the joys of raising adolescents whilst aware of your declining physical strength – you can feel hard pressed on all sides! If so, this short talk aims to give a fresh perspective on how to keep serving God as you lead ‘through the chaos’.

Oge Chesa

Oge is the convenor of the quarterly NHS Strategic Prayer Summits and weekly NHS Strategic Prayer Storms that have been praying around NHS matters since 2015. The vision, which is based on Hebrews 8:4-5, brings together those with a heart for the NHS to ‘stand in the gap’ to see that the NHS in every facet is aligned to the agenda of Heaven. 

Oge will look at what Jesus would do if he was in the NHS today.

Mark White

Mark is Chief Technology Officer at a large NHS Trust in London. He is a clinical scientist by background, mainly working in imaging and surgical navigation, then moved into digital leadership nearly ten years ago, joining his Trust’s senior directors’ team during the Covid pandemic. He lives in London with his wife and two daughters. 

Mark will be helping us think about what the Bible has to say about healthiness and longevity, and whether that perspective can help us understand our ever-increasing expectations of the National Health Service.