Nurses

Updates

• At the CMF National Conference in April, there will be a separate seminar track for nurses.
• There are continuing discussions with NCF Scotland over future direction. Currently the fellowship is a state of legal 'abeyance'. CMF Scotland staffworker Audrey Chalmers is actively involved in consultation.
• The first Nurses & Midwives eNews was sent out in early March (quarterly thereafter).
• Work is ongoing connecting nursing contacts to CMF regional team leaders, medical school and workplace Links.

RCN congress

For nurses attending the 2015 RCN Congress in Bournemouth, 21–25 June, there will be a CMF get together one afternoon or evening. If you are interested in attending contact Steve.Fouch@cmf.org.uk

Birmingham coffee morning

Following on from small local events for nurses in North Kent and Peterborough, plans are underway for a further nurses meeting in the Midlands. The venue is the Birmingham diocesan offices at Snow Hill. For more details contact Steve.Fouch@cmf.org.uk

Other events

• Nurses Refreshment Dinner, London, 26 May (email Steve.Fouch@cmf.org.uk)
• Medical Ethics Alliance conference on The Ethics of Whistleblowing, Royal Society of Medicine, 3 June – email info@medethics-alliance.org

Saline is a bridgehead

Looking for a way to launch a local or workplace CMF Group? A Saline Solution training day at Coventry on 7 March proved just the ticket. None of the 27 participants, doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other healthcare professionals, had done Saline before. As they learnt new skills about how to share their faith in the workplace it made sense to form workplace groups to pray for colleagues and patients. There and then three lots of participants formed local CMF groups.

The unique value of CMF groups

Julian Churcher puts the case for CMF groups in your area or workplace

Why do we encourage CMF members to meet? Isn't local church fellowship sufficient, especially with time so seemingly scarce nowadays?

There is unique value in gathering with others who are dealing with similar challenges in the workplace – and without doubt these are challenging times. Between us there are no illusions about the title 'doctor', and we have invaluable shared experiences of training and day-to-day medical practice.

The guiding principles we suggest for anyone leading a local group, or considering doing so, are:

• Benefit. For all the cost of time and energy, there should be net gain, a sense afterwards of 'That was well worth it!'
• Relationship. For most of us the diary already has plenty of meetings, such that 'meeting' has become a dreaded noun. But 'meeting' as a verb is quite another matter. Gathering in person, with others committed to our good, builds friendship and trust.
• Sustainability. Sustainability. Decide what you're happy to continue with in terms of frequency and preparation. Some groups will meet over a meal, but for others a hot drink and a snack is more practicable. Eating out is another option, given the right venue.
• Flexibility. Flexibility. What's called for is whatever best serves the local membership. Most groups gather on weekday evenings but Saturday brunch, or a weekend afternoon tea, are options that some have found fruitful – especially as an occasion for bringing along family members.

Together we can explore scriptures particularly relevant to medicine and healthcare, share any current burdens, discuss and debate ethical issues or cultural themes, worship, and pray for each other.

Please get in touch if you're looking for, or thinking of starting a group. We're here to help. To explore next steps email events@cmf.org.uk or call 020 7234 9660.

Julian Churcher is CMF Staffworker for London and the Southeast.

Next DLS in production

CMF UK members have contributed 66 contributions to the next issue of The Doctor's Life Support, the ever-popular daily devotional for Christian doctors. With help from our International department we managed to recruit most of these contributors from doctors surrently working overseas, mostly in resource-poor settings. This set of contributions is full of real gems.

The Human Journey rollout

So far at least ten Human Journey courses are already underway across the UK. One church had 45 people attend their first session. We are already reprinting because of demand. Over the next few weeks we will be following up people who have bought a Human Journey Sample Pack or Starter Pack, and will be encouraging CMF Links to work on getting the Human Journey embedded in their churches. If you have started running a course, please let us know by emailing info@humanjourney.org.uk

We have also been encouraged by the response from other Christian leaders. Rev Rico Tice from All Souls Langham Place and Christianity Explored gave it this plaudit:
'The Human Journey raises issues that are of critical importance to the future of our culture in Britain. I wholeheartedly recommend this resource to individual Christians and to the wider church.' We are excited about the blessing this resource could be to the church.
If you haven't yet had a look at this new resource, visit humanjourney.org.uk for more information.

New: Facing Serious Illness

Facing death was never easy. But in the modern world it has become even more confusing. Hospitals offer an array of treatments to relieve symptoms, improve the quality of life and postpone death. Even so, decisions need to be based on good communication and trust. Facing Serious Illness draws on the joint expertise of the Lawyers' Christian Fellowship and CMF to clarify the key medical and legal terms. The booklet includes a sample Note of Wishes to help dying people and their relatives. £3.00 plus p&p available from www.cmf.org.uk