New Appointments

We are delighted that Kerry Waterfield (North-East staffworker) and Becky Petherick (Midlands relay worker) have joined the staff (see page 2 for more details). This brings the CMF student staff to eight. Regional Staffworkers are still needed in North-West England, Scotland and London/East Anglia.

Student Staff News

Mark Pickering led the students' preconference at the ICMDA World Congress in Taiwan (see p.7) in July, and will continue as ICMDA Student Secretary, in addition to his CMF Student Secretary post. A number of new area student secretaries have been appointed by ICMDA to assist Mark, reflecting the continued growth of the work. These include two members of CMF UK. Mark's main tasks this term include planning the national students' conference in Swanwick and co-ordinating the Confident Christianity evangelism training tour. In addition to this he oversees the Student Executive (SCC) and Nucleus magazine.

Tim Lewis, now in his second year as Irish staffworker, led a summer team to St Petersburg in July (see below) and is gearing up to lead Confident Christianity day conferences in Belfast, Kilkenny and Dublin in October/November.

Chris Downing, after leading a summer team to Albania returned there in September with Peter Saunders to speak at a conference for Christian doctors. He is now supporting Christian student groups in Oxford, Southampton and West London. Chris and Sarah's first child Jonathan was born in August.

Rebecca Brain has made a flying start as South West staffworker covering Cardiff, Bristol and the new Peninsular School in Exeter/Plymouth, where a support network for students has been quickly established.

All our staffworkers produce regular prayer letters so if you would like to support any one of them in prayer please let us know.

Turning Points

Publicity is now out for the CMF National Students' Conference to be held at the Hayes Conference Centre, Swanwick, Derbyshire on the weekend of 7-9 February 2003 and all students should receive a booking form with this mailing. Don Carson and John Patrick are the main speakers. Seminar topics include Surviving as a House Officer, Psychiatry, Nazi Doctors, Euthanasia and Cloning. Much more information about the conference and on individual seminar topics is available on the CMF Students' website at www.cmf.org.uk/students/natconf.htm. Around 400 delegates are expected and space is limited so book early to avoid disappointment.

New Medical Schools

New medical schools opened in Exeter/Plymouth and Norwich this autumn and plans are already well underway to establish CMF student groups in both. We are now looking for members willing to support Christian students in next summer's new schools in Brighton and York/Hull.

BMA News

Congratulations to Jenny Ciechan (Edinburgh) who has been re-elected as chair of the British Medical Association Medical Students' Committee (MSC), and also onto the BMA Central Ethics Committee. Meanwhile Francis Sansbury (Cambridge) takes over from Michael Wheble as the official CMF rep on the BMA MSC.

Freshers' Packs

CMF Freshers' Packs are available from the CMF Office on request and include an introductory letter to CMF, a joining form, conference brochure and complimentary copies of Nucleus and Triple Helix. Ideal to give to your Christian friends who are not yet members. Email Sandra on students@cmf.org.uk.

Electives Advice

The following two resources (just updated!) are still available FREE to members on request:

• Planning your Medical Elective Overseas - all you need to know
• Medical Elective Opportunities - with over 30 mission societies

'Preparing for your Elective' is also available on the Internet at www.healthserve.org

If you'd like specific advice on the where, why and how of your elective, or would like to be put in touch with other students who may have been to the same hospital (or country), contact Peter Armon (CMF Overseas Support Secretary) at the CMF Office. Email peter.armon@cmf.org.uk.

Elective Grants

Healthserve is celebrating its 125th anniversary in 2003 and would like to give 125 elective grants to students studying in English or Welsh universities over the next two years! Contact HealthServe, First Floor, 106-110 Watney Street, London E1 2QE. Tel 020 7790 1336. Email info@healthserve.org.

The Edinburgh Medical Missionary Society offers a similar service to students studying at Scottish or Northern Irish universities for their overseas electives. For more details contact EMMS, 7 Washington Lane, Edinburgh EH11 2HA. Tel 0131 313 3828. Email info@emms.org.

CMF Summer Teams

When Suzan Mesropyan visited the Swanwick Student Conference this January the idea was sparked of running an evangelistic camp for medical students in her home country of Armenia. A link was established with CMF members in Newcastle and after much prayer and planning a team of junior doctors and students led by Chris Richards and Malcolm Savage visited Yerevan in August. About 30 students and doctors came to the camp, including several non-Christians, and in conjunction with the Armenian student leaders the Newcastle team got alongside people and helped run medical and ethical teaching and fun activities. Chris gave a series of talks on Romans by which were very well received, and there was great interest and openness. The Newcastle team remains in touch by email and plan to strengthen the links over the coming year.

The Armenian Camp was just one of eight CMF doctor/student summer teams this year. Chris Downing led a group of junior doctors and students from Oxford to help lead a camp in Albania in August. Again for the second year running, Mark Stirling led a doctor/student team from Edinburgh to Chilyabinsk. Bernard Palmer led a team of four to Samara in South Russia, where over 60 medical students from six medical schools came for Bible and medical teaching. Tim Lewis led an Irish team to St Petersburg for the first time, whilst Mike Reynolds spoke at the inaugural medical student conference in Rostov, south Russia. Other teams visited Poland and Central Asia.

Further summer teams are planned for next year. Please pray for all these ventures; that God's Spirit would continue to move, that new Christians would be built up in Christ, that more doctors and students would be willing to go and that more international friendships will grow in the future.