Anita — the administrator
What do you do with CMF?
One morning a week, I travel across London to help in the CMF office. The office staff involve me in sending out new membership letters, filing papers where action has been taken and seasonal activities that relate to conferences etc. This work enables me to pray for those named in the letters or administration files and to listen and respond to general office ‘chat’. I file items alphabetically, run up and down the stairs, make tea and greet the postman.
What does this look like as a time commitment?
My commitment for the day revolves round a weekly University of the Third Age (U3A) group which I lead and administer. To enable this, my family are aware that I am not available for them eg. to care for the grandchildren. The CMF office prepares my workload and tasks to fit the time available.
Why this role? Why CMF?
As a mother and NHS hospital consultant, I had no time to volunteer prior to retirement except as a Methodist local preacher. While working in Africa, I benefited from dentistry as part of the work of the International Christian Medical and Dental Association (ICMDA) and have felt indebted to that organisation.
Since retirement, I have volunteered in many different roles but recently for church and charities. However, CMF has always featured in God’s prompts. Hence when a request in CMF news was made last year, I contacted the office and set to work the next week. For me, my Christian faith has underpinned my professional life. Although I am not an evangelical Christian, I value the opportunities CMF gives for advocacy and fellowship.
How do you pray God would use you as you work for CMF?
I pray that I will put the right letter and resources into the envelopes which I send out to CMF members. I pray that God will create a voice from CMF members that makes the Bible relevant to our day-to-day work – at home, in the street, and as we journey through life with our physical, mental and spiritual challenges. I pray that in my third age, I can reflect God’s image to others and through his work in my life encourage others to be enfolded in his mercy and grace.
Christine — the nurse encourager
What do you do with CMF?
I have two voluntary roles in CMF: I am a nurse encourager for a student nurse and also offer hospitality to a group of nurses. I meet with the student nurse once a term to chat about how she is getting on at university, her placements, friends, family, life at church and generally any challenges that she is having. We have coffee together or go out for lunch.
We have got to know each other very well and share interests outside of our Christian faith such as music. She plays in the university orchestra and our families have met at various concerts during the year. She even came to live with us for a week when she was between housing contracts!
What does this look like as a time commitment?
My husband and I host monthly meetings of CMF student nurses at our home. I cook a main course for anywhere between 12-25 nurses. They bring desserts and the three girls who lead the group organise a speaker for the evening. It is lovely to be able to open our home to them. A few girls have said to us that it is like ‘going home for the evening’. We try to provide a relaxing place where they can meet with other students over a meal to share experiences and support each other in their Christian faith.
Why this role? Why CMF?
As a recently retired nurse myself, I am very happy to share my experiences working in the NHS and my experiences as a Christian learnt over many years. I know how valuable it is to have someone to talk to about ‘life’ and the challenges that we face. I believe encouragement / mentorship is important for everyone. As a mature Christian, I have a responsibility to encourage others in a world and workplace where negativity can be a strong influence. I love the verses in Hebrews 10:24-25 about encouraging one another.
How do you pray God would use you as you work with CMF?
I pray that God will continue to give me opportunities to help and encourage others in their Christian faith in whatever practical ways I can.
Graham — the global track
What do you do with CMF?
I am the junior doctor representative on the CMF Global Committee. I help to lead CMF Global Track (a training course for soon to qualify or newly qualified healthcare workers who are interested in working overseas).
What does this look like as a time commitment?
Difficult to say! I attend three CMF Global Committee meetings a year (or attend online if getting to London isn’t possible) as well as trying to attend the Junior Doctors’ Conference. The Global Track meets every few months, either in person at weekends or on a webinar on weekday evenings. We have online meetings in advance of each session to organise as a team. On top of this, there is some admin to do. I also mentor one of the participants.
More importantly, but often harder, is trying to be faithful in meeting up with local CMF members keeping up-to-date with my mentee and praying for all these things.
Why this role? Why CMF?
The Lord has profoundly influenced me and my journey with him through working overseas over the years, from a few weeks in South Africa after my undergraduate degree to a year in Niger after my F2. I would love to see every young Christian healthcare worker in the UK taste something of the experience of God and his amazing grace and majesty that I have discovered through this.
I had never been involved with CMF on a national level before taking on this role, but benefitted hugely from my local CMF group at university. Working with CMF gives me the chance to link people together, who otherwise wouldn’t be able to benefit from each other’s wisdom and experience, in growing the work of Christ worldwide.
How do you pray God would use you as you work with CMF?
I am aware that not everyone would consider themselves called to work in a hospital in the African bush, but my prayer is that through what I do, more and more young healthcare workers would find their place in serving the God of all nations. That might be in the UK, in Europe or in a resource poor setting; it might be on the frontline in a mission hospital, teaching students or developing health policy. Whatever it is and wherever it is, I pray that they would fall more in love with Jesus and bring more glory to him.
