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Editorial Team (VOL. #13/2008):
Goh Wei Leong, Soh Ling Ling,
Jonathan Tan, Michelle Wong
Dear brothers and sisters, 2008 was certainly a year the world would never forget. Do you, like me, sometimes wished for some relief from the chaos in our personal lives, and for answers to some of these global concerns? In 2008 the CMDF community did struggle with some of the pressing issues of the day. We engaged topics like migrant workers, HIV, the Zimbabwean cholera catastrophe and organ trading just to name a few. We didn’t always get the answers, or even relief from these struggles, especially since some of these topics were a bit out of our usual orbit. But we tried our best to be honest with the issues and to be as practical as we could in our responses. We welcome Rev. Dr. Tan Soo Inn to the team as our very own chaplain; coming alongside us to help provide and promote spiritual friendship among Christian medical and dental professionals in the marketplace.
Do join us for our
Annual Rededication Service on Thurs 22 Jan 09 with
Thank you once again for being a part of the CMDF Community as together we try to discover practical expressions of grace, truth, justice and peace in our fractured world. We join the Psalmist in Psalm 85 in praying “Restore us again, God our Saviour.” Blessings for the New Year!
Shalom, |
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CMDF Re-Dedication Services 2009
It's the beginning of a fresh new year, and time once again for the CMDF ReDedication Service, a time to reflect on what has been, and to seek new directions for what is to be, for our personal, work and service lives. It will be a time of worship, thanksgiving and commitment as we seek out our Lord's guidance. Do make time to join us from your busyness to kickstart the new year in the right spirit.
RSVP:
admin@cmdf.org.sg or
call 82989595 |
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CMDF ANNUAL DINNER 08
The CMDF Annual Dinner was held at the new banquet hall of the National University of Singapore Society (NUSS) Guild House. Some 300 participants, including 60 medical and dental students turned up to support this event. Dr. Goh Wei Leong introduced Rev. Dr. Tan Soo Inn, a dental graduate, as the new Chaplain who will undertake spiritual mentorship of the doctors, dentists and medical/dental students. We then enjoyed a song item by the medical students and a mime of the hymn Amazing Grace performed by Dr. Julian Tan. The evening was rounded off by Rev. Canon Gideon Byamugisha, who spoke on the holistic Christian approach of the care of HIV/AIDS patients. It was indeed a blessed evening well spent!
COMMUNITY: CHANNELS OF
HOPE
The issue of HIV and how the lack of support for individuals living with HIV may have struck many of us but we often choose to be bystanders. The two-day event Community: Channels of Hope, A HIV Symposium for Christian Action and Advocacy was held at St Andrew's Cathedral on 31st October 2008. Rev. Canon Gideon started off with Community of Healing & Hope: On Being Light & Salt in Society in which he addressed the current issue of the stigmatisation of HIV positive individuals. He highlighted the need to embrace these people with love. Dr. Lim Poh Lian and Rev. Daniel Koh further reminded us of God's mercy and how we are not in the role to judge but rather, to love as God loves. The needs of the people living with HIV were highlighted by all the speakers with Rev. Kuzipa emphasizing that women and children had to bear more than just the effect of the illness itself. There are psychological and social issues surrounding people living with HIV who suffer from social exclusion due to the stigma associated with this disease. These individuals are forced to deal with a multitude of stressors with little support. We are called to be 'channels of hope' for these people – to step out and reach out to them. Although the HIV symposium is over, it is only the start of more exciting things to come…
KianTeck Dormitories, 4
Oct 08
I was asked to help out in a health screening event conducted at the Kian Teck dormitories in Boon Lay. Over 7000 foreign workers from either the Indian subcontinent, Bangladesh or China are housed there. I had thought it was an extrapolation of the Karunya clinic in Little India which caters mainly to manual labourers. This was, however, a different "clientele". They work in the surrounding industrial / IT estates and shipyards in skilled or semi-skilled jobs. Most could read, write and speak some English. I was reminded that often we don't see them as individuals and "equal" to us. We exploit their cheap labour, dismiss them as uneducated and bundle them off to live in dorms far way where they won't "harm" us. In our personal or professional lives, when we encounter maids or any other foreign workers, do we treat them like how God our father has told we are to love and treat our brothers/sisters? Or do we regard them as inferior beings, tolerated because they provide services that we require?
Missionaries Tea Time
Gathering
This gathering was held on 12th Oct at Dr. David Cheong's place. There were a number of missionaries doctors who were back from the field and they were able to share their thoughts and experiences to a group of MP (Mission Potentials) who are considering missions in the future. Dr. Tan SH, who came back for the birth of their third child, shared about his work in East Asia and has since gone back to serve the Lord faithfully with his family. Praise God for opportunity to encourage and inspire the next generation of doctors for mission.
Dental & Medical Carnival
in the heart of Geylang  The Medical & Dental carnival was held at the HealthServe headquarters in Geylang on 29th and 30th November 2008. Free medical screening and highly subsidized dental care were provided by NUS/Duke medical students, dental surgeons, dental therapists and NUS dental students. Most of the foreign worker recipients felt that this event was helpful.
Medical
The simultaneous
involvement of such diverse groups is key to Healthserve's aim of
bridging communities, and this event did just that. HIV The survey highlights the need for more counseling and HIV screening to be readily available for these people and provides a platform for directing our future work in HIV amongst the marginalized people.
Karunya Fellowship Sharing
The session started with a time of devotion and songs led by Eugene. We were reminded of giving of our best to God in terms of time and possessions through the song "Alabaster jar". The woman, out of love, broke the jar of perfume equivalent to a year's wage, to anoint Jesus. Luke 7:37-50. Shin Yong then shared a devotion, touching on Christ being our Mediator. We have been reconciled to God and in Karunya clinic, we are in the business of reconciliation, between man and God. We also bade farewell to our brother Selvin who had been in Singapore for 6 years and was converted 3 years ago. Through Karunya clinic he grew, becoming more regular and bold in the sharing of gospel. We thank God for Selvin's testimony and we ask that the Lord will continue to bless him richly as he returns to India to get married and become a missionary. We ended the time with thanksgivings and prayers for the Karunya clinic ministry, the migrant workers in need and brother Selvin." | |
True to the
multi-faceted nature of Healthserve, many events were occurring
simultaneously during this 2-day event. Health-screening was
carried out by medical students from NUS-Duke Graduate Medical
School and NUS VCF in the thrift-shop area; dental screening and
treatment was being carried out for the first (but not the last)
time in Healthserve; a team from the Doulos was providing festive
music and a HIV survey and free screening was being carried out by
the Healthserve HIV team. Besides receiving goodie-bags,
participants were also engaged with posters from Health Promotion
Board.
A HIV questionnaire in various languages was made available at the
carnival. The aim was to look at the knowledge and attitude, as
well as the risk profile behavior for STD and HIV, of individuals
who visit HealthServe. Individuals were also given opportunity to do
a screening blood test for HIV, after pre-test counseling, which was
fully sponsored by HPB. 
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CMDF Chaplain Chaplain: “a member of the clergy attached to a private chapel, institution, regiment, etc.” Concise Oxford English Dictionary
Together with his wife Bernice, Soo Inn runs Graceworks, a publishing and training consultancy committed to the development of spiritual friendship in church and society. He is also an honourary pastor of Evangel Christian Church. He has a BDS from the University of Singapore, a ThM from Regent College, and a DMin from Fuller Seminary. You can reach him at sooinn@cmdf.org.sg
Medical Mission @ YMCA, 28
Sep 2008 About 10 doctors, 4 Filipino and 6 local, provided health screening to some of the Filipino community living in Singapore on 28th September 2008 at YMCA. A joint outreach effort in partnership with WORD INTERNATIONAL, it was an attempt to bridge the gap between the church and migrant Filipinos working and residing in Singapore. This is truly "reverse missions" in that the harvest field is now at our doorstep! Increasingly Singaporeans are becoming aware of the people groups that GOD has put in our nation for us to connect with and to share the good news. May this be an ongoing outreach and may God give us more creative ideas to touch the 'nations' within our nation, for Jesus!
Organ Trading: A Christian
Perspective
Dr. Lee also spoke about the benefits of a system whereby each nation is self-sufficient in terms of the organ pool it needs for urgent organ transplant operations. He feels that this is attainable in Singapore, especially if churches encourage Christians and other people to willingly “opt in” to the HOTA, rather than opt out. Building on the seminar, Dr. Jason Yap, who is part of the multi-agency Singapore Medicine initiative to promote, develop and maintain Singapore as an international medical hub, emphasised that Christians need to learn to take the place of a referee and dialogue with the government with regard to the formulation of its policies, studying them thoroughly as a concern citizen rather than play the role of a spectator without much stake in the issue. An issue which emerged at the end of the talks during the question and answer sessions is that churches and pastors are not well- equipped theologically, practically, and policy-wise on the issue of human organ trading and other current issues, and that it is important for believers to spread the word on the official Church position internally. One speaker remarked that although the Church body knows the official position on abortion, yet one half of the women who go for it are Christians. During his speech, Dr. Chia noted that the statement by the NCCS on human organ trading is due to be released soon.
Medical
Mission Trip to Iloilo City This medical mission trip to Iloilo city was the culmination of at least a year of planning and preparation – starting from the first meeting last year made up of doctors and nurses in my church, Bethel Assembly of God and headed by our mission pastors who wanted to start a medical mission outreach in addition to the church planting and other evangelistic programmes we already had.
For me, this trip has been one of the most enjoyable medical missions thus far. Because of our team's preparation, meeting regularly to pray, learning songs for our special item, working together with dedicated people who joyfully serve the Lord in things both big and small , I was tremendously encouraged and reassured by God that He would provide what was needed to do His work! |
Rev. Dr. Tan
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Zimbabwe food appeal
Here's a note from our brothers and sisters in Zimbabwe... "CMF's attention was drawn to an opportunity to buy and pay for basic foodstuffs in South Africa, which can then be collected by a named beneficiary in Harare. This led to an appeal being launched in November to which many of you have generously given. We are pleased to tell you that the first order (for cooking oil, beans, rice, salt, soap, candles & matches) has been placed and should be delivered just before Christmas - we expect that it will help 50 doctors and medical students." The CMDF Singapore committee felt led to share this painful journey with our Zimbabwean friends with a financial gift which was remitted through CMDF South Africa. |
