Johnson House
At a ceremony this Saturday, during the Executive Committee meeting, a plaque will be unveiled by Mrs Esther Johnson in the foyer at 6 Marshalsea Road to name our new home 'Johnson House'. This commemorates the foundational work of Douglas Johnson (1904-1991, first General Secretary) and his son Alan (1938-2006, Chairman and later President).
Executive Committee
Please pray for this important meeting going on all day, considering the business plan and budget for 2009, CMF's Diamond Anniversary year.
Autumn Appeal
Thank you to all who have contributed! We are seeking £150,000 – see the latest total. If you would like to give and have not yet done so it is not too late!
Joshua heading World Vision in Africa
All 2008 staff changes have happened successfully and details will be in December's mailing, but we are delighted that Joshua Wathanga, who was Change Manager for CMF for 13 months in 2006-2007, has been appointed as World Vision's regional governance advisor for Africa. He moved to Kenya in October.
New CMF Head of Student Ministries needed
As you know, Mark Pickering is leaving in February. Please pray for his successor and make this need known – details
HFE Bill receives royal assent
Sadly, we now have more liberal embryo research, more use of saviour siblings, animal-human hybrids, fatherless IVF children, and taking without explicit consent tissue from children, mentally incapacitated adults and people who have died in order to make cloned and hybrid embryos. CMF throughout has opposed the bill as an attack on human dignity, the family and life itself.
It was though a huge answer to prayer when liberalising amendments calling for abortion on request up to 24 weeks, nurse and GP surgery abortion, and extension to Northern Ireland fell. The new HFE Act could have been even worse.
Euthanasia battle resuming:
Debbie Purdy denied 'clarification' of law on assisted suicide
Tetraplegic rugby player Daniel James dies at Dignitas
Washington state votes for PAS
But Oregon's PAS law overlooks depressed patients
CMF staff did 16 radio and television interviews in just four days on recent cases. If you missed them you can still watch interviews re Debbie Purdy on Channel 4 and BBC News, and an interview about Daniel James.
World AIDS Day 1 December
Professor Andrew Tomkins will speak on 'HIV and the church internationally' at a major Christian event in London, and Steve Fouch will be facilitating discussion.
The ICMDA HIV Initiative has announced its 2008 Dignity and Right to Health Award winner. Dr Geoff Foster is a paediatrician in Zimbabwe who has been campaigning to raise awareness since 1987.
Advent
As we enter this season, and by contrast with some of the bad news above, how good it is to remember that 'The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned' (Isaiah 9:2)
