Spring Appeal 2020

uniting and equipping – in crisis and beyond

I would like to donate the following amount to the CMF Spring Appeal 2020:

£5
£20
£50
£100
£250
Other amount

Every single one of us has been deeply affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, both here in the UK and across the globe. The NHS has strained to cope, the government has poured in huge resources, and the nation has been locked down, with fear, anxiety and uncertainty affecting millions.

CMF has also been massively impacted. As cases rose in March, our office closed like many others and staff headed home. We took the sad but inevitable decision to cancel our National Conference for the first time ever.

We could have battened down the hatches and waited out the storm, furloughing staff and waiting for a better day. But as the crisis deepened, we quickly realised that now, more than ever before in our history, CMF's mission to unite and equip Christian doctors and nurses to live and speak for Jesus, is absolutely vital.

God has prepared us for this storm

Over the last three months, it's become abundantly clear that God has been preparing us in ways we could not have predicted to ride out the current storms, and beyond that to thrive as we support those on the frontline of the COVID-19 crisis.

• Recent groundwork done on the Pastoral Care and Wellbeing Programme meant that it was ready to launch immediately at just the time it was most needed
• Progress already made on Catalyst Teams and local networks paid off massively in many areas as members launched WhatsApp groups and Zoom calls to pray for each other
• Our social media presence enabled the daily COVID1900prayer broadcasts that have given a daily prayer focus to thousands in the UK and beyond
• We've produced 40 inspiring voices from the frontline podcast interviews, which have informed and encouraged thousands
• Engagement with Christian media outlets and church leaders has grown markedly, including the launch of our Churches E-News during the crisis
• We have engaged personally with every one of our overseas members, many of whom are working in challenging resource-poor situations; we've also set up a Global Advocacy Group that has already been in contact with the UK government

Our incredible National Online Gathering on 25 April engaged 900 people from across the UK and the globe - more than twice the numbers who would usually attend the National Conference.

Throughout this whole period, CMF's relevance has been supercharged, as the entire nation sees the crucial role that doctors, nurses, midwives and other healthcare workers are playing, despite the immense stresses they face daily. For Christians at the healthcare coalface, it's provided incredible opportunities to strengthen and support each other to be the hands and feet of Jesus.

help us build for an uncertain future

There's considerable uncertainty about what the coming months hold. So we are looking intently to the Lord to guide us as we begin laying the foundations of our next strategic plan. This will start in January 2021 and inform where we focus our resources during the next few years. We'll be firming these plans up in the coming months, including at the AGM on 13 June.

When the COVID-19 crisis passes, we don't just want to return to 'business as usual', but to a new level of ministry that adapts to the needs, opportunities and unknown future challenges of the post-COVID world.

• Continuing to build our local networks, embedding prayer and Jesus-centred pastoral care within them, whilst strengthening connections with local churches
• Revitalising our communications by improving the use of digital media, and moving our extensive website onto a more flexible platform that will increase our ability to respond to changing needs
• Revolutionising our regular conference programme by incorporating online engagement, that widens participation beyond physical attendance alone
• Globally, doing even more to support individual members and strategic partner organisations, whilst advocating for global health needs in an increasingly interconnected world
• Taking our nursing and midwifery ministry to the next level, modelling Christian community as we break down interdisciplinary barriers

All these exciting projects will take significant time, investment and human resource, as we adapt to new technologies and train staff and volunteers.

please would you help us?