Meet John Greenall
Introducing the new CMF Head of Student Ministries
John Greenall has been appointed new CMF Head of Student Ministries. We asked him a few questions about his life and how he sees the job.
Can you recall your first contact with CMF?
I was on the computers at my university campus. The current student link asked me if I would replace her as link. I said yes without thinking and without looking up; look what she's got me into!
What other CMF involvements have you had?
I was the first student chair of the CMF National Student Council and I visited Zimbabwe representing CMF during the cholera crisis a few years ago.
Tell us about your career to date.
I've done five years of paediatric training and some GP training. I continue to work one day a week as a paediatric registrar. My wife Heidi and I spent a year at All Nations Bible College.
What church involvements do you have?
I am an elder at Barton Evangelical Church in Canterbury, Kent. It is a growing church in a densely student-populated city.
Tell us about your wife & family.
I am married to Heidi (nearly ten years now) who is a wonderful mummy to our three children aged five, three months and six months. She is a palliative care nurse and I couldn't have asked for a more wonderful wife and best friend.
How do you spend your leisure time?
I love any sport, including darts! I support Harlequins and Arsenal. I enjoy swimming, riding my bike, reading big theology books, walking with the family in the Kent countryside, brushing up on my French and spending time with friends.
What do you see as the main opportunities Christian medics face today?
The NHS environment is increasingly cynical and pressurised. Therefore there are tremendous opportunities for Christian medics to be willing to go to the hard places, to speak and model excellence and hope. Will we get the strength to do this by being satisfied in Christ alone, following him to the cross by risking our reputation, ambitions and security? Or will we miss our unique opportunity because we succumbed to cynicism, apathy, comfort or placing our identity in career and status?
Farewell Laura
We bid a fond farewell to Laura Risdale after eleven years of valued service at CMF, as coordinator of the Student and International teams. She is moving to Cheltenham where she will be administrator of St Philip's and St James' church (aka Pip & Jim's). Our thanks go to Laura and we wish her well for her marriage to Ben Evans in May.
...and Dimity
After more than three years ministering to student nurses, Dimity Grant-Frost left the staff at the end of March. She plans to further her career as a palliative care and oncology nurse and marries Aidan Simmons later in the year. Pray that God will lead CMF to the right replacement to fill her post.
A new role for Dion
Taking over from Laura is Dionysia (Dion) Ayeni who has worked with CMF as Admin Assistant in Central Services since February 2012. She is married to Kolade and worships at Liberty Church in north London.
CMF Prayer Summit
Over the weekend of 16–18 January, about 80 CMF members, a blend of students, junior doctors and more seasoned graduates, met for a special CMF Prayer Summit. It's widely agreed that Christian doctors are facing tougher challenges than perhaps ever before: tightening budgets but increased demands as well as heightening hostility to matters of faith. The gathering was an opportunity to review aspects of the past and seek God's direction for the future.
Public policy
So far this year CMF has made three submissions to government inquiries, as follows:
Counter-Terrorism and Security Bill (January 2015)
CMF's purpose was to affirm the importance of free speech on campus, while recognising the potential risk of misuse of higher education institutions as platforms for drawing people into terrorism.
Northern Ireland: Abortion for lethal fetal abnormality and sexual crime (January 2015)
CMF's submission claimed (among other things) that accurate assessment of the degree of disability is very difficult. The DoH figure for the number of Irish women coming to England and Wales for terminations of pregnancy on Ground E (those for fetal abnormality) in 2011 was 51.
House of Lords legislation on mitochondrial disease (January 2015)
For an extensive treatment of this issue see CMF File 51. To read these submissions in full see website
Peter Saunders: Oral evidence
In other public policy work, CMF CEO Peter Saunders gave oral evidence as the Scottish Parliament considered the Harvie Bill to allow assisted suicide.
Database
A gentle reminder. Please make sure your contact details on the CMF Database are up to date. Log in today at members.cmf.org.uk to check and update your details. If you encounter difficulties don't hesitate to contact CMF office staff for help.
Links: Expanding still
CMF regional team leaders now support 235 Link people in 405 roles. Links keep the local groups going, connecting members and organising local networking activities.
