My first month as CEO of ICMDA
Dear friend,
Thank you for wanting to keep in touch with me after my move from CMF. I'm so grateful for your prayerful support. Below are some highlights from the past few weeks.
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Transitioning from CMF to ICMDA
 I finished my 27 years of service with CMF on 7 December after a series of humbling farewells from members and staff. Kirsty and I then took the opportunity to visit friends and family in New Zealand. Mark Pickering, my successor as CMF CEO, starts on 4 March so Graham Sopp and John Greenall have led during the intervening period. It has been so encouraging to see such able and willing people stepping up to take the baton, and I believe that the board and staff team at CMF have never been stronger.
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Handover with Vinod Shah
 I flew to India on 28 January for a wonderful time in Vellore including handover from Vinod Shah for the CEO role for ICMDA. A busy week included meeting many key people for the future and giving four talks to staff and faculty at Vellore Hospital and Medical School. ICMDA has grown greatly under Vinod’s wise leadership over the last eight years and now serves over 80 national movements of Christian doctors and dentists. Pray for Vinod and his team (Telma and Gopi) as they move on to fresh ministry challenges. |
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The new office in St Albans
 We opened the new ICMDA office in my home town of St Albans, UK on Monday 4 February. Josh Mills, my Executive Assistant at CMF, has joined me, and Dr Santosh Matthew, our South Asia regional secretary, will stay on the staff as head of training, including oversight of our Family Medicine training programme. Advice and support from Liz Mander (ICMDA UK Trust treasurer) has proved invaluable in getting all office systems up and running. The Trust meets on 16 March to review the ministry plans and budgets for 2019.
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CMF Sydenham and Students’ Conferences
 It was a real privilege to give five talks on leadership, mission and answering difficult apologetics questions at the UK CMF Sydenham and National Students’ Conferences on 8-11 February. Sydenham attracted 16 Christian medical student leaders from 15 countries for a week of teaching and fellowship in London. I hope to have ongoing contact with many of these folk in my new role. Over 400 attended CMF’s flagship student conference where John Wyatt gave some excellent talks on the theme ‘Work, Rest and Play’. |
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Egyptian Adventures
 On the evening after the student conference I left for Cairo, Egypt for the 12th annual conference of DWAM (Doctors with a Mission) followed by the ICMDA METNA region leaders’ training event. Over 400 Christian health professionals from about ten Arab countries, all passionate about healthcare mission, attended to hear inspiring talks and to worship and fellowship together. The 8,000 strong church which hosted the event baptises new converts weekly and I was amazed at stories from all over the Middle East of Muslims turning to Christ through dreams and visions and the faithful witness of Christian believers. |
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Blessings current and future
Ben  and Caroline’s son (and our first grandchild), Owen Emmanuel Saunders, was born in Cardiff on 16 February whilst I was still in Egypt. It has been so good to meet him. Next month I’m planning to attend the first ever Christian doctors’ conference in another Muslim country (prayers for last minute visa appreciated) before flying to Kiev, Ukraine, for the Eurasia Regional leaders’ gathering. We greatly value your prayers as ICMDA, by God’s grace, seeks to fulfil its vision of ‘a Christian witness through doctors and dentists in every community in every nation’.
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Thank you for wanting to keep in touch.
Do let me know how I can be praying for you too.
Sincerely in Christ Jesus,
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