How Big is our Big God?

Join us for a fantastic residential weekend conference for all Christian healthcare workers and their families for excellent teaching from God’s Word, wonderful fellowship, and great food!

‘Bewitched, bothered and bewildered’. The title of this old jazz standard is an apt description of how many of us feel in our current cultural moment. We can often feel downcast, dispirited, and dishevelled. We need
something to pull us out of ourselves. We need something to pull ourselves together! In order to do this, we will need to see the big picture. More importantly we will need to see our big God. It is this vision alone that will give us the reorientation and rejuvenation we badly need. In this case, the book Isaiah is the appropriate medicine to prescribe. At this year’s CMF National Conference, we will be looking at three chapters in Isaiah. These chapters are familiar to us, but far from being pretty and sentimental, they are powerful and cutting, as they constantly contrast the living and life-giving God to dead and death-giving idolatry. It is in this comparison that we will rediscover our identity, our strength, and our witness to declare hope in a hope-less world. 

Guest Speaker: Dan Strange

Dan Strange is the Director of Crosslands Forum, a centre for cultural engagement. Formerly he was College Director at Oak Hill College, London. He is a visiting professor at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, contributing editor for Themelios, Vice President of The Southgate Fellowship, and a Fellow of The Keller Center for Cultural Apologetics. His most recent books are Plugged In (The Good Book Company, 2019), and Making Faith Magnetic (The Good Book Company, 2021). Dan is married to Elly, has seven children and a foster child, and is an elder of Hope Community Church in Gateshead in the North East of England.

PLENARY SESSION: 'Surviving and thriving in the workplace

Amidst today's cultural landscape, how can Christian healthcare professionals effectively address workplace challenges while being a blessing to those around us? What defines success in the eyes of God? Join us in this plenary session as John shares personal insights, draws wisdom from Scripture, and integrates these with findings from staff surveys. Together, we will explore how to survive and thrive as God's ambassadors in healthcare. And how we do we do this with kindness and consistency amidst the inevitable tensions we face in healthcare leadership, and in so doing bear fruit that glorifies the Lord. 

This session offers a space for honest conversations and prayer.

Plenary Speaker: John Drew

John Drew has been Director of Staff Experience and Engagement at NHS England for the last 3 years, which includes responsibility for the annual NHS staff survey and the national health and wellbeing team. He also led the implementation of the NHS People Plan during the pandemic.  He joined the NHS in 2017, as Director of Improvement and Culture at a large teaching hospital, having previously been a partner at McKinsey working in the Operations and Healthcare practices. 
He is an Associate Fellow at Green Templeton College, Oxford where he teaches on the Management in Medicine programme, and is a trustee of Samaritans and 4Front Theatre, a Christian theatre company. 
He is married with three grown up daughters and lives in Worcester, where he is part of All Saints church. He is hooked on parkrun and is the proud owner of a Morris Minor pickup. 

Youth and Children's Programme This year, the kids and youth program will be run by a team of passionate and dedicated YWAM workers who are committed to making a positive impact in the lives of the young participants. They will organise the young people in aged groups creating an activity that inspire each one to live a life of purpose and meaning. They believe that every child is unique and has a God-given purpose, and they strive to create a safe and nurturing environment where they can discover and develop their talents and abilities.
Registration Due to significant increases in CMF overheads and Yarnfield utilities, food, and employee costs, we have sadly had to raise our conference prices.  CMF members, however, benefit from a discounted rate, and you can still save on early-bird rates if you book soon!  The weekend costs cover the conference, an ensuite/family room, and all meals and refreshments from Friday evening until Sunday afternoon.  In our cultural climate, meeting together is more important than ever, so we look forward to seeing you at our annual conference. 

Bookings for in-person attendance

Bookings close on 4 April 2024.

(Please note: we regret that any bookings after this date will incur an additional late booking fee of £30 to cover extra administration costs and will only be accepted if spaces are available). No refunds will be paid for cancellation after the closing date, unless in exceptional circumstances. If you cancel your booking before that date, payment will be returned with the deduction of a £40 administration fee.

Book by 29 February to get our early bird discount rate and save on your weekend booking. 

Pastoral Care and Wellbeing

The CMF Pastoral Care & Wellbeing Team will be available in person and online at the conference.

If you would like to pre-book a wellbeing & prayer session with a CMF Pastoral Partner, please indicate on the booking form and the team will be in touch.

Online Gathering 
We are offering an online option for those who are unable to join us in person at Yarnfield Park.  This is an online gathering to join the main sessions at the following times:  Friday evening (19:45 -22:00) - The great big God – Isaiah 40 
Saturday morning (9:15 – 11:30) - Identity: his, and ours – Isaiah 41  
Saturday evening (19:30 – 21:30) - Plenary Session: 'Surviving and thriving in the workplace'  

Sunday morning (11:15 - 13:00) -  Idol comments - Isaiah 44

Bookings for the Online Gathering will close on 19th April.

If you are already a CMF student member, please login in with your existing login details to obtain the reduced rate for members. If you need a reminder of your username or if you have forgotten your password, please use the links on the right-hand side of this page to request a reminder of your username or to reset your password. If you have problems logging in, please email admin@cmf.org.uk for assistance. 
If you have not used this website before, please create a user account before logging in.

2. Choose your registration option 
'Conference registration’ option.

3. Enter delegate information
Once you have selected your registration option, please answer the questions on the form. Providing answers to the questions, helps us deliver a better conference experience. You will also need to tell us your seminar choices. Remember to click on 'save responses' to save your answers at each stage.

4. Checkout / Payment
When you have registered, click on the 'add to cart' button at the bottom of the page to checkout with your credit or debit card details.

5. Cancellation policy 
If you cancel your booking under any circumstances before 29 March 2024, payment will be returned with the deduction of a £40 administration fee.
No refunds will be paid for cancellation after 29 March 2024, unless in exceptional circumstances.

6. Important information
The information we gather via this form will be used to process your registration. We will share relevant information you provide with the conference venue to enable them to fulfil your accommodation requirements and any special dietary needs.

We will use your email address and mobile number to send you additional relevant information before and during the conference.