At a recent regional Saline Solution conference in the north, none of the ten doctors who attended had known each other before. It was a lively day with active participation from all present. Some time ago I was at a bigger conference in the south of England and one of the doctors said to me, ‘I have been paying my CMF subscription for about twenty years and this is the first CMF meeting I have attended!’ As we have travelled around twenty-five different venues with Saline Solution this has been a common story. Some did not realise how isolated they had become until they had the opportunity to meet others and find encouragement together in facing the challenges and joys of healthcare in the UK today. A number of local CMF groups have started meeting again following a regional Saline conference.

Alongside CMF’s increasing involvement with nurses, midwives and other healthcare professionals through our International HealthServe department, we have recently run Saline Solution courses with Christian Nurses and Midwives (CNM) and Christian Therapists Network (CTN) in the UK. These have been well received and we hope to be involved in helping CNM and CTN expand this work nationally.

In April we led a Saline Solution conference in English in Amsterdam. The Dutch coped admirably with English, but we are excited by their plan to run another one in the autumn, half in Dutch and half in English, and next year launch the whole course in Dutch. There are plans to hold further Saline conferences around the UK in the autumn. Details and booking forms will be posted to members locally and made available on the CMF website. On hearing several stories of integrating spiritual and health care, one member in the Midlands said, ‘These practical stories really encourage me to have a go!’ Why not try it yourself?

The Saline Solution roadshow

For upcoming day conferences on integrating faith and practice see the events section of this website.