Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
It has been a while since I last wrote, and there is a lot of catching up to do. I hope you will bear with me and stay with me through this email. I have been praying for you and hope you will continue to pray for BMDF as we move together to support God’s Kingdom through Healthcare ministries.
First, let me bring you up to date on several things that have been happening:
The Med Advance Healthcare meeting hosted by the IMB this year at FBC Houston, TX, Sept. 12-14, was a great success. God continues to call students, workers, and supporters of healthcare ministries to complete His task of reaching the Nations.
Our partnership with CMA Ukraine got off to a great start on July 1 of this year. As of the end of August, CMA initiated its first report to BMDF. You can read their first report by clicking here.
We face great need as we seek to remain true to the calling our Lord has given us.
- We have provided for 45 Healthcare workers to attend the overseas CME conference this year (at a cost of a little over $100,000)
- We have provided 32 scholarships (with one additional scholarship request currently being reviewed) at a cost of $30,000.
- We have thus far sent $6000 to CMA Ukraine as they seek to engage the Ukrainian people with mobile medical clinics while sharing the love of Christ with those they serve.
God has blessed this year as we received donations just enough to cover these expenses.
Here are a few things we are working on:
We are appointing new members to serve on our committees. If you are interested in serving on any of these committees, please contact Bob.
- Membership Committee: Dr. Janet Hicks will be leading this committee to increase our membership base. New committee now has 6 members
- Missions Committee: Dr. Randy Oliver will be leading this committee to present additional opportunities for you to serve. New committee currently has 3 members and can use more.
- Prayer Committee: Dr. Mary Clawson will continue to lead this committee as we seek to inform you about the prayer needs of overseas serving and our membership. New committee currently has 2 members and can use more.
- Scholarship committee: Dr. Thomas Traylor will lead this committee as we seek to inform and develop our future leadership and membership base. New committee currently has 3 members and can use more.
- Members of the Executive Committee will meet with an expert in fundraising to explore ideas for generating funds to keep these projects going.
We need your active involvement
- Continue to pray for us.
- Many receive our emails, yet only one-third are active members. Would you consider renewing your membership today? If you are not sure if your membership is active, please contact Bob via email, and he can share your current status with you. If you know you have not renewed in the past twelve months, you can click here to renew.
- Be ambassadors for BMDF. Please share about our organization with your co-workers/friends. Many of you became involved with BMDF because a fellow co-worker or friend shared with you about who we are. Our membership base is decreasing. If you need materials you would like to share, please let Bob know by clicking on his name. He will be glad to email materials to you.
- We are a 501 (C) 3 charitable organization. As you consider end-of-year charitable donations, please think of BMDF. You can either send a check or give an online donation. click here
- Encourage your church, Sunday School, or home group to support this effort.
- Attend our annual meeting, April 25-26, 2025, at First Baptist Church in Durham, N.C. Bring like-minded friends with you. PLEASE NOTE, THIS IS A DATE CHANGE FROM OUR ORIGINAL ANNOUNCEMENT.
Upcoming dates you should be aware of and praying for/about:
- Baptist Nursing Fellowship Annual Summit, Louisville, KY, October 18-20, 2024. Kentucky Baptist Convention, 13420 Eastpoint Centre Dr, Louisville, KY. You can register on the BNF website.
- Dr. Randy Oliver will be leading a team to Peru for Medical outreach Oct. 22 – Nov. 2, 2024.
- IMB Medical Mobilization One-Day Event: Island Community Church, Saturday, February 8, 2025. Additional details will be forthcoming.
- IMB Medical Mobilization One Day Event – Kettering, OH, Saturday, March 8, 2025. Additional details will be forthcoming
- BMDF Annual meeting. First Baptist Church, Durham, N.C., April 25-26. Registration will open shortly after January 1, 2025.
Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, let me thank each of you for your support, not only of BMDF but also of me and the leadership team as we seek to lead into the future.
Your Co-laborer in Christ: Bob