New Associate General Secretary

Kevin Vaughan joined the staff as Associate General Secretary on 19 April.

Kevin, this is a new post. What will it involve?

I expect to be involved primarily in a pastoral role. This will include using the Saline Solution programme to encourage doctors (and other healthcare workers) to bring Christ into the whole of their professional lives in a way that is natural and true to themselves.

The CMF office is in London but you live in Birmingham, how does that work?

Typically I will spend two days per week at the London office and two days at home or visiting members.

What's your medical background?

After three years of hospital jobs, my wife, Sheila, and I worked in Uganda in a church-based hospital for eleven years. We returned 18 years ago to general practice in Birmingham.

So why CMF and why now?

We have always felt that the Lord might open a door for something new once our three children had graduated and left home. Our youngest will be getting married this summer after his graduation. I have enjoyed a growing commitment to CMF and have always longed to find ways of encouraging doctors to live more wholeheartedly for Christ at work. I am excited by recent developments in CMF and this job opportunity has arisen at just the right time.

Where do you think Christian doctors need to grow most?

I suspect that many Christian doctors live a life that is off-balance. It takes continuing growth in Christ to develop and realign work, family, church and leisure in the right proportions.

What do you see as the major challenges facing Christian doctors today?

I think we need to learn much more about mutual support so that we have the courage to think and act differently. The biggest temptation for the Christian doctor is probably not money, sex or power. I suspect our biggest temptation is to allow ourselves to be worn down and watered down. We need the Holy Spirit to give us fresh eyes to see that there are many opportunities for Christian witness and service within the NHS.

How can we pray for you?

It will be a time of big adjustment in our family life and I will need to establish many new relationships. I will need God's guidance to recognise what he is already doing up and down the country and see where my contribution fits in.

New Allied Professions Secretary

Steve Fouch, formerly Director of MMA Healthserve, has joined the CMF staff as Allied Professions Secretary as a result of the merger.

Steve, Tell us about your own professional background?

I trained as a nurse at the University of Surrey, working in community nursing and acute elderly care for about three years before jumping sideways into palliative care and HIV for about eight years. I also managed to do a Masters in Medical Anthropology and get involved in mission in North Africa.

What will your new post involve?

I will be working with non-medical health professionals and students, supporting and encouraging individuals to get involved with mission, as well as supporting and encouraging the work of the various Christian fellowships supporting these professions.

What new dimensions will the merger bring to CMF's ministry?

The multidisciplinary aspect will be of immense value to CMF. As Christians we can model a very different ethos to that practised in the NHS, and healthcare mission is more and more multidisciplinary in practice.

What do you see as the major challenges facing healthcare mission today?

Probably the three biggest challenges are to increase the indigenisation of medical mission in the face of a globalised labour market, to promote short-term visits as part of a long-term strategy for healthcare mission, and to address the impact of HIV and other emergent epidemics on world health. A fourth challenge is to look at how we, as Christians, can tackle prophetically the global forces that are widening the health and poverty gap. Mission is a justice issue, as well as a care and evangelism one.

How can we best pray for you?

This is a key time for Christian mission as whole, and healthcare mission in particular – so wisdom and sensitivity to where the Holy Spirit is leading us would be my first prayer request. I would also appreciate prayer for our family (my wife Debbi, and our children Hannah (3) and Sam (10 months)) and in particular for me in keeping that old work/life balance right (a prayer for all of us I suspect!).

New Accountant

Charles A Otim joined us as CMF accountant on 9 February. He comes with 25 years work experience in accounts and finance, having previously been with Open Doors, a stint at public tax accounting and most recently with IFES. Charles is originally from Uganda and is married to Christine. They have two children: Shari and Daniel. He desires to see young people grow in the faith and to love and serve God in their professions. The family worships at Maghull Baptist Church, in Liverpool. Please pray for Charles as he learns the job.

Laura Risdale

Laura Risdale joined the CMF staff team this Easter. She has moved over from MMA HealthServe, where for the last two years she has worked as Office Administrator and PA to Steve Fouch and Peter Armon. Laura worships at Sutton Salvation Army, is a keen rugby supporter, and still on a bit of high from the World Cup victory.

John Alford

John Alford died just after being diagnosed with disseminated squamous cell carcinoma on 21 January after a very short illness. John had been Office Manager at CMF since 1990 and was one of our longest serving staff. Please do continue to pray for his wife Rosemary and their children Matt (17), Beki (14) and Peter (11) and also for the CMF Office staff, who have lost a dear colleague. A tribute to John appears on p5 of the April 2004 Triple Helix.

Could you be a CMF Staffworker?

There will be vacancies for part-time student staffworkers in North West England, East London/East Anglia, Ireland, North East England, South England and the Midlands this summer. Might this be you? For more information contact Peter Saunders at the CMF office.