Communications

Resources from CMF

Four booklets So far this year CMF has launched a new booklet series written by Dr Peter Saunders, CMF CEO. Each booklet costs £2.00 +P&P and is available from the CMF bookstore: www.cmf.org.uk/resources/bookstore

Serving in Babylon - an overview of the early chapters of Daniel.Christians living in 21st century Britain and serving in the NHS face challenges like those faced by Daniel and his friends in exile in Babylon. This booklet encourages Christian healthcare professionals to be fruitful yet distinctive as they serve God in the NHS.
Changing Culture,Changing Values - an exposition about ethics and new technologies. Explores how we can engage with these often difficult issues as doctors and health professionals and show Christ's character and compassion to people around us.
The Divine Drama - an overview of how the Bible fits together. It has many authors and was written over a long span of years, but has a golden thread running through it. The unfolding divine drama of creation, fall, salvation and new creation. In a nutshell, it's all about Jesus, his person and work.
The Christian Call to Social Justice - draws inspiration from the life and work of William Wilberforce, best known for abolishing the slave trade but also an evangelical Christian committed to social reform. A helpful guide on how Christians can view and work for social justice.

More staff changes

Meet Marolin Watson

Marolin Watson joined the staff of CMF in April 2017, taking over as maternity cover for Dion Ayeni as Student and International Ministries Coordinator. She told CMF News, 'I liked the idea of working for another Christian charity and have always had an interest in medical matters. Before joining CMF, I was the Business Manager of Hope UK, a Christian drug and alcohol education charity for children and young people, working there for over 23 years.'
She is a member of Belvedere Baptist Church where she serves as a deacon. She is married and has a 26-year-old daughter who moved out this year.
'I love walking with my dog (and sometimes my husband), working on our allotment, gardening, writing, reading, learning (mainly Geology but interested in all areas of science) and doing voluntary work.'
Attending the National Conference in April gave me a real vision for the work, especially the way it encourages and equips medics to serve overseas. I can see the need to support Christian medics as they seek to work in ways that are consistent with Christian ethics in a culture that is increasingly indifferent or hostile to Christian values.'

Nurses

News from the nursing department

Pippa Peppiatt will be stepping up into the role of Head of Nursing as Steve Fouch becomes Connections Manager. He will work with the Communications, Advocacy, International and Nursing teams and coordinate work with social media.

Accent on expansion and training

Off the back of a busy winter and spring, several new student groups have started around the country. We have been training a new intake of student leaders and building a network of graduate nurse supporters locally and nationally.
Aware that we need Christian nurses and midwives to be leaders, not just within CMF but within their professions, this autumn we are piloting a course called Biblical Leadership for Nurses. To run on three Saturdays between September and November, the course offers an approach to leadership developed by Nurses' Christian Fellowship International.
It looks at the biblical models of the leader as shepherd, steward, servant and scholar and looks critically at how these relate to secular models of workplace leadership being taught to nurses. The aim is to equip individual Christian nurses and midwives to develop their leadership skills spiritually and clinically and make an impact for Christ in their workplaces. If you are interested in this, do get in touch.
Finally, we are working on the fourth edition of our nurses and midwives' publication, Spotlight, due to come out in the early autumn. If you harbour an ambition to write, do get in touch. We are looking for personal testimonies and interviews on living out faith in the workplace, book reviews, devotional pieces and articles grappling with professional, ethical, moral and spiritual issues relevant to Christians working in nursing and midwifery. While we commission most of our articles, unsolicited items will be gratefully received and considered for publication. Please contact Steve Fouch if you're interested in writing for Spotlight or the Biblical Leadership for Nurses course: steve.fouch@cmf.org.uk

Genome editing under scrutiny

The Nuffield Council on Bioethics' latest call is an update to their 2016 consultation on the moral implications of genome editing. With increased use of techniques such as CRISPR, the ability to bring about widespread changes to genetic material is there. However, we need to be wary. Our analysis of current trends show that there is a great potential of advance to come out of adult stem cell research, which can lead to effective gene therapies for conditions as diverse as Parkinson's and diabetes. But there have been far more questionable uses, in embryo research, animal-human hybrids and the potential of unscrupulous biotechnology companies. Genome scientists and governments have a duty to ensure that moral and ethical concerns are heard and carried through during the course of research. These major concerns include the ethics of germline editing, eugenic considerations, safety and the unfair distribution of resources that may cause research to be prioritised over care.