Staff news

We mentioned Jonny Thiessen in the last issue of CMF News as the new International Coordinator; he is now really well settled in, having just received his National Insurance number, making him legal at last! He has also got engaged to Fiona, a fellow student at All Nations, and they plan to get married in the summer of 2006. Congratulations! As you read this Jonny will be preparing for the Students' International Pre-Conference, a critical and strategic time for international visitors to the annual Students conference at Swanwick in February; please pray that the right individuals are able to come and really benefit from all that the conference offers.

Staff roles continue to change and develop; Laura Risdale was seconded to PRIME for 4 months, but it has now been decided that PRIME need more direct administrative support. Please pray for PRIME as Mary Morgan, one of the Trustees develops PRIME's administration, and for Laura as she is redeployed at CMF.

Charlotte Hattersley joined the staff in September 2005, as a Regional Staff Worker for the North East, covering Leeds, Hull,York and Sheffield Medical schools, giving two days each week to this role. She is also a qualified GP based in Beverley, North Humberside.We continue to be on the lookout for Regional Staff Workers to give part of their time to support the work amongst medical students and juniors; could you offer up to two years alongside your medical practice? Please speak to Peter Saunders, if this is of interest to you.

Office move

Plans for the Office move are continuing to develop, as you will have read on the front page of this newsletter. Please pray for the staff, as we come to terms with moving from Partnership House after many years, along with all the associated upheaval and disruption.Work associated with such a move is also significant; please pray for all those involved with all the practical implications of this move during 2006 and 2007, whenever the move occurs.

Finance

The great catch up is almost complete! The Finance team of Charles Otim, Joan Arnold and Geoff Smith have compressed two years work into one, and we are now reaping the benefits of more timely information, and much more immediate communication with individual members.

Annual Subscriptions.

We sent out over 1,000 requests for current and past subscriptions paid by the reminder system just before Christmas, representing requests for nearly £90,000. This would be a fantastic help to CMF's expected deficit of £100,000 for 2005.We are continuing to follow up all members to ensure that we don't lose touch with any individual.

Regular Standing Orders.

Of the many members who give by regular standing order, more than 200 instructions have failed, with an annual value of just under £30,000. If even half of these are re-established CMF's ministry will be able to continue growing!

Thank you.

Thank you to every member who has responded to the annual request for financial support, or to specific appeals for individual projects, or who has increased their regular standing order to CMF in 2005. This financial generosity remains fundamental to CMF's long-term development and growth.

You may not appreciate it, but your generosity has seen CMF's Income and Expenditure double over the last 6 years from approximately £500,000 to £1,00,000. All this has come from a static membership roll – 1,000 students and 4,500 graduates. What more could we do if our membership had also doubled in the last 6 years – 2,000 students, and 10,000 graduates? Well, the administrative and financial joys would have grown significantly! Will you join us in recruiting one new member in 2006, to achieve that target of adding 1,000 new graduate members? Thank you so much, and thank you to the Lord for all his goodness to us!

Direct Debit!

These back page musings would not be complete without an update on direct debit! Like British Rail, we really are getting there, and yes I am as confident as I can be that Direct Debit is coming, and should arrive in 2006! (I acknowledge that I have been saying that since the spring of 2003, but we have climbed many mountains in between!