Christian Medical and Dental Association, Richmond, VA  [Editor’s note: the original URL (link) referenced in this article is no longer valid, so the link has been removed.]
September 2009

We wish you could be there on Monday evenings for the Bible study. You would get to experience the gathering of 35-40 students, residents, doctors and spouses that come with open hearts. They are open to God’s Word, to fellowship with one another and to prayer for one another. Yes…and for food, too!

Something excitingly different is happening this year. The students started the very first week by being vulnerable with one another and not pretending to “have it all together”. The questions and comments in the discussion groups were amazing as they shared what God is doing in their lives. Their prayer requests were for deep concerns and not just upcoming tests. The study on 1 Peter is being used powerfully by God as we learn together how to honor Him in persecution, trials and suffering…while keeping our focus on our inheritance yet to come. We are thrilled that different students and doctors are volunteering to help us lead the passage each week. Everyone benefits from this shared involvement.

Comments from upper-class students included encouragement to be involved in CMDA. An M-3 shared “you will hear in your classes the message that medicine is everything…that it is your god. CMDA has helped me to make God the only god in my life.” A PT-3 enthusiastically stated “I have enjoyed meeting other healthcare students, forming relationships with them, praying with them, and being able to say hello to a familiar face on campus.”

New students expressed their anticipation. A D-1 said “I had been praying for Christian community when I came to dental school and was thrilled to find a flier in my mailbox on the first day of school. I enjoyed this time and I will be back.” An M-1 prayed “Thank you Lord for pushing me to come…I am much better off because I did.”

Thank you for the blessing of joining with you in encouraging students and doctors to keep their focus on God during the trials of life. We all “suffer grief” and truly need each other for comfort, encouragement and wisdom that comes from God and His Word. A dinner with members of the local council (that help direct the ministry) on August 30 was a blessed time of sharing our lives…reminding us how much we truly need each other.

Thank you for praying for the welcome event at our home on August 29. We had wonderful fellowship and lots of food and fun with the sixty-three people who attended. Please pray for us as we form relationships with new students and deepen relationships with those students and doctors we already know. Pray for us all to reach out to those who do not have the hope we have. Please pray for our fellowship events – including the Panel of physicians, dentists and spouses speaking on September 18. Please pray for the CMDA National Meeting September 24-27 near Asheville, NC, and our annual staff meetings that follow September 28-30 in Bristol, TN. May God use each of these events mightily for His purposes and for His glory. Thank you!
Ed and Debby