Thank You

...for the tremendous response to the Autumn Appeal! Giving to date is around £165,000 and the Gift Aid reclaimable takes the total to £200,000. See update and Making a Donation.

Executive Committee this Saturday

CMF has a critical Executive Committee meeting this Saturday 1 December and the amount raised by then will determine activities next year. Please pray for God's leading and wise decisions as we plan for 2008.

Open Days

About 40 visited on Saturday 3 November and we enjoyed having you. However, we have decided not to hold another formal Open Day next year, as previously suggested, but all are welcome at any time. Please be in touch first.

Jobs

We are delighted that Marcus Watkins has been appointed as CMF Head of Finance and Administration and will start on 2 January 2008, overlapping for one month with Joshua Wathanga. Marcus has considerable IT background too, so we will be reviewing needs and re-advertising for a Database and IT Manager.

Partners at InterHealth have a 3-day-a-week opening for a senior doctor to join their 15-strong clinical team providing healthcare services to the aid, mission and voluntary sectors.

Ethics

The renamed Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill is moving through Parliament. The Second Reading in the Lords has taken place and the Bill will be discussed in a Committee of the Whole House on 3, 4, 10 and 12 December. There will be a Report and Third Reading debate with vote in January before the Bill goes to the Commons. So far no abortion amendments have been tabled. Keep an eye on the news which also mentions the furore over lesbian mothers.

Dolly pioneer Ian Wilmut has announced that he is abandoning cloning to obtain human embryonic stem cells on the grounds that two groups of scientists have reprogrammed human skin cells to act like human ESCs.

Access to primary healthcare for vulnerable migrants

CMF commented extensively in 2004 when it was last mooted that primary healthcare might be denied to vulnerable migrants, but the idea has re-emerged. Medact is co-ordinating a campaign and you can sign an online petition.

Climate change

CMF is one of the founder members of the Micah Challenge movement, campaigning against world poverty and to see the Millennium Development Goals implemented. Take a look at their e-mail education/action programme at Take Five.

'If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land' (2 Chronicles 7: 14)