Since joining the CMF office team in April, I have been busy unravelling the process of the merger between MMA and CMF, as well as starting to mobilise allied health professionals into mission.

During this time I have been to the Nurses’ Christian Fellowship International Congress in Seoul, South Korea, where nearly 400 Christian nurses from 33 nations gathered together. This was a great time of encouragement for all those present, and enabled fruitful contacts to be made with Christian nurses groups around the world, many of whose members are currently working in the UK.

The Christian Nurses and Midwives fellowship (CNM) in the UK is in the process of relaunching itself, and it is holding a joint conference with the Christian Therapists Network (CTN) and the students groups for nursing and the allied professions on 4-6 March at The Quinta, Oswestry. Contact healthserve@cmf.org.uk for more details. interest in overseas mission, and have a growing number of local fellowships across the UK (there is a separate Nurses’ Christian Fellowship in Scotland). CNM can be contacted on info@cnm.org.uk and CTN on info@ctn.org.uk

The ICMDA Asia Pacific Conference was held in New Delhi on 21-24 October, drawing around 140 participants from 12 countries. John Patrick led some excellent plenary sessions, and there were some very stimulating seminars looking at a variety of issues from the provision of healthcare to the urban poor, to the cultural impact of Christian medical missions in Indian society and religion. It was greatly encouraging spending time with so many Christian medics from across the region and hearing what God was doing in nations as diverse as Myanmar and Australia.

While I was in India, I also attended an Allied Professionals conference hosted by the Christian Medical Association of India (CMAI). Around a hundred Christians in clerical, technical and clinical allied health professions attended the conference in Calcutta. CMAI has a range of specialist ministries within its network across India, and with the Evangelical Medical Fellowship of India (EMFI) is seeking to develop Christian health professionals to make a major impact on their nation.

Back in the UK we are seeing an increase in demand for short-term placements for physiotherapists, speech and language therapists and occupational therapists all over the world. If you have any Christian colleagues who are interested in working overseas on short-term (or long-term) placements, please get them to contact me at steve.fouch@cmf.org.uk

Steve Fouch
Allied Professions Secretary