New Head of Graduate Ministries

Doctor Pablo Fernandez started full time at CMF in March, overlapping with Kevin Vaughan for a month. We introduce him:

Pablo, you qualified in Spain. How did you come to Britain?
The pharmaceutical company I was working for in Madrid offered me a position in a new clinical research group in London, so in 1984 we moved to Guildford, joined Chertsey Street Baptist Church, and lived there for the next 21 years. Then at end 2005 we moved closer to my office in High Wycombe.

How do you feel about following Kevin and heading CMF graduate work?
Having now spent a couple of weeks with Kevin and Sarah, it is great to see a fantastically well organised operation. I have heard about the graduate staff workers, the regional secretaries, and others so I am looking forward to meeting everybody involved as soon as possible. Christian doctors are under tremendous pressure and to be able to serve them through the many different ways of the graduate ministries team is a great privilege.

Tell us about your church
We are members of a Grace Baptist church in High Wycombe. We have always made it our priority to be in a church where the centrality of the Bible and preaching the Gospel are the main concerns. Our small church is very cosmopolitan with South African, German, Malaysian, Singaporean, West Indian, Spanish and even English people!

What about your family? And relaxing?
I am married to Penny who is from Dundee. We have two married daughters and two little grandsons. I love reading, listening to music, and walking in the country, and I am never happier than when I get a new gadget to play with.

How can members best pray for you?
That I will settle into the job quickly, so I can support the graduate team and all the CMF in fulfilling our goals.

Kevin says farewell

It has been a fantastic privilege to work for CMF since 2004 and I am so grateful for all the support, inspiration and encouragement that many members have given me. I am delighted to commend Pablo Fernandex, and pray that under his leadership the graduate ministry of CMF may thrive and develop beyond anything imagined so far!

On a personal note, I shall have continuing involvement in international ministry both as Chair of the ICMDA and with International Saline training. Thank you, CMF, for seven wonderful years!

New Head of Communications

Catherine Butcher started part time two days a week in March as the new Head of the Communications team:

Catherine – tell us about your time in the media
I trained as a newspaper journalist to learn to communicate effectively. I've edited big-budget, glossy, secular magazines; Christian titles like Renewal, Woman Alive and Families First and smaller publications for organisations. I've helped with media management, fronting a promotional film for Campus Crusade and launching a new web site; and done audio and digital magazines for Mothers' Union. I published a Christian counselling journal for five years, and I've written a book most years since 1999. I started Facebooking a couple of years ago and Twitter occasionally, so I'm becoming proficient at time-wasting! This Easter I'll be a Spring Harvest speaker for the first time.

What is key to CMF getting its messages across even more effectively?

• Using digital media to communicate between members, with the wider medical world, with the media and with the church
• Being proactive in communicating Christian ethical values
• Using print and digital media, and events, to challenge churches to support doctors and health professionals in their congregations
• Engaging with the church at events like Spring Harvest so Christians can learn from what CMF is doing to grapple with ethical issues

Your church?
As a family, we are part of a growing church with about 700 members and, surprisingly perhaps for Eastbourne, at least 200 are under 25.

Family?
Husband Adrian is a BBC radio news producer working mainly on Radio 4. At 18 Rachel is taking A-levels and hopes to go to university. Matt is taking GCSEs and Jess, the collie, is keeping us all fit with regular walks on the South Downs.

How can we best pray for you?
Taking on even a third of Andrew's role is daunting. Please pray I listen well to members' needs, so I can prioritise effectively and bring out the best in the communications team.

Andrew says farewell

Having retired from CMF before (end 1999) I was hoping to go quietly, but I echo Kevin's sense of privilege and gratitude. I am very confident Catherine is the Lord's person for CMF; turn over to find out about the other two exciting appointments!

New Head of Public Policy

Philippa Taylor has been appointed the two-day-a-week Head of Public Policy, starting in April:

Philippa – what's your background in bioethics and public policy?
I've worked on bioethics and family issues for 17 or so years, mostly for the charity CARE. My responsibilities have been research and writing, as well as advising on bioethics and family issues and representing CARE externally. I've recently completed an MA in Bioethics at St Mary's University College, Twickenham.

You've got long term family connections with CMF?
My father, John Malcolm, was a missionary doctor in East Africa, where I partly grew up, and he then became a GP. As a longterm supporter of CMF, journals have been lying around my parents' house for many years, alongside various medical ones. I'm also surrounded in my wider family by a mix of doctors and vicars!

Who is at home, and how are you going to fit everything together?
My husband is a vicar (at St George's, Stamford) which is a busy job but does mean he is based at home. This has its advantages for family life: we have three lovely children, aged 10-14, so between us we can generally manage the school runs and evening taxi service. It requires planning and organisation though, and I am very reliant on lists!

And finally, one overarching prayer request?
That I would settle in quickly, get to know the ropes and the team, and be effective in helping build on and develop CMF's public policy work.

New Senior Editor

Philip Nicolls starts two days a week in April to oversee the whole range of print publications and their further use:

Philip – tell us about your professional life to date
I started as an Editorial Assistant with Sweet and Maxwell and worked my way up to Senior Editor. Then I moved to the commercial side of the business where I was responsible for managing a large portfolio of books and online services. After seven years in publishing I retrained at Cornhill College for full time church-based ministry while working part time for my local church. Since then I've been an Assistant Minister but kept one foot in publishing through my voluntary role as Publishing Director for BeaconLight Trust and a trustee role with Christian Publicity and Outreach.

Where do you see CMF print publications going?
I'm excited about online opportunities and for CMF to pursue a wider audience than medical professionals alone. I think much of what CMF produces will help shape the thinking of all Christians.

Tell us about your family; who's at home?
My wife and three daughters aged 6, 3 and 2, plus our dog. We are blessed with lots of support from Josie's parents who live nearby.

What do you do to relax?
Walk the dog, spend time with the family, play guitar, listen to all kinds of music, and cook (badly).

Briefly, how can we best pray for you?
That I'll be able to juggle all the demands of the various ministries I'm involved with, and make wise decisions about what (if anything) I should give up!

Onward and upward

So, we welcome Pablo Fernandez, who takes the baton from Kevin Vaughan as full time Head of Graduate Ministries, along with Catherine Butcher, Philip Nicolls and Philippa Taylor, who together take on Andrew Fergusson's Head of Communications role in a three way split. As always God has faithfully provided for our staffing needs.

We are hugely thankful for the gifting and faithful service of Andrew and Kevin who retire as CMF staff after 15 years (in two spells) and seven years respectively, and wish them all God's blessing and enabling as they continue to serve God in retirement in pastures new.

In 2010 CMF focused on 'building stronger fellowship and community' and appointed five new part time staff: three graduate staffworkers, one nurses' student staffworker and a media producer. Over the next three years we plan to appoint further part time 'regional staffworkers' for students, graduates and nurses, as well as voluntary 'associate staffworkers' willing to 'drop a day' to serve CMF members. We also plan to expand our student internship programme to offer training and ministry opportunities to our growing student membership. Might God be calling you to one of these roles?

A new 'friends of CMF' membership category will enable non-medics to benefit from our literature and resources and a 'church partner' scheme will help us better serve the wider church. Might you help here?

The CMF website won a Christian New Media award last year for joint best Christian organisation website, but it has a dated look and much of its content could be easier to access. We are planning to relaunch it in a new format to improve access to the best of the thousands of articles.

Unlike many charities, CMF is currently in a strong position financially having finished 2010 with a £118k surplus despite having budgeted for a £43k deficit. This was achieved largely through unbudgeted legacy income of £83k, and savings in expenditure of £80k. Our ministry income of £1,089k hit budget almost exactly.

This further planned expansion in 2011- 2013 will help us to equip our members better as they seek, in Jesus' name, to speak good news, bring healing to the sick, and be advocates for those with no voice.

The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest… to send out workers… (Matthew 9: 37-38)