New Overseas Support Secretary

Peter Armon is the new CMF Overseas Support Secretary and takes over officially from David Clegg at the end of November. Peter qualified MBBS at Charing Cross in 1965 and went on to specialise in obstetrics and gynaecology. He has extensive experience abroad in Malawi, Tanzania and Gibraltar and will work part-time with CMF as Overseas Support Secretary and part-time with MMA HealthServe as Medical Director. Peter’s wife Carol is a teacher and counsellor and they have three children Matthew, David and Jeremy, all married.

New Midlands Relay Worker

Verona Beckles has been appointed to work alongside West UK staffworker Ruth Selwood for six months part-time from September. Verona graduated MBBS from Imperial College in June 2000 and will support Christian junior doctors and students in Birmingham and Warwick, while taking part in UCCF’s Relay training programme. She returns to an SHO post in February.

New Doctor in CMF Office

Clare Cooper will be working alongside General Secretary Peter Saunders in the CMF Office, one day per week, from the beginning of November, helping with correspondence and publications. She qualified MBBS at Charing Cross in 1979 and has worked as an associate specialist in dermatology in recent years. Her husband Michael is a GP.

CMF Medical Staffing

In December 1999 the medically qualified CMF office staff consisted of a full-time General Secretary, a full-time Student Secretary, a part-time Overseas Support Secretary, two part-time London staffworkers and a part-time student scholar (3.7 f/t equivalents). When Peter Saunders took over as General Secretary in January 2000, the previous General Secretary and Student Secretary posts were split between the new General Secretary and the (non-medical) Chief Administrator posts. The joint appointment has paid off considerably in streamlining CMF’s administrative structures, and in integrating graduate and student ministries, but now for the first time in five years we have no London staffworker and therefore only 1.5 f/t equivalents of medically qualified staff in the London office (General Secretary and Overseas Support Secretary). In view of growing ministry opportunities, continuing heavy workload and CMF’s (almost unique among charities at this time) healthy financial position, the Executive is now strongly considering the appointment of another full-time medically qualified staff member. Watch this space!