Student Leaders and Vision Conference

"CMF has connected me with other students who want to wholeheartedly serve Christ, with doctors who can model that …, and with other Christians at university who also want to serve Christ.”

“I’ve made a tonne of friends with Christian medical students from all around the country through CMF events like CMF conference! It’s been really encouraging to hear how we are all learning to serve Christ in our vocation together.”

Vision

Each year CMFnz assists student leaders from Auckland and Dunedin to attend the CMDFA Vision conference for student leaders in Australia. Each student who has attended has come back to NZ inspired and encouraged to develop a strong fellowship within their campus groups and maintain connections throughout their medical journey.

The feedback from the CMDFA hosts about New Zealand students is always so positive:

“I just wanted to … say that we really enjoyed having the NZ students at Vision. They really grabbed the opportunity with both hands and contributed so much to each session, and weren't afraid to stand up the front and talk, and also help out where needed. Thank you for sending them along and I hope we can continue to support NZ by having students at our conferences and sending Australian students to your conferences.”

Similarly, feedback from the New Zealand students about the conference is really encouraging:

“The Vision Conference was amazing, definitely well worthwhile in terms of meeting young doctors and other student leaders. I think it was really a unique opportunity to receive support as leaders, and start making plans for the year … I think it would be amazing if we could have a similar thing in NZ!”

“The array of speakers and presentations at Vision was second to none. It was great to talk to people who had expertise in Christian Worldviews and Leadership Qualities.”

“Personally, I found Vision was an opportunity for reflection and throughout the weekend, I could feel my faith growing stronger as I became closer to God.

“Initially, I can remember feeling very nervous about the conference as I didn’t know anyone else who was attending [but]… from the moment I arrived, I was warmly welcomed … and the conversation flowed. I shared many interesting conversations with the people I sat with over the 3 days...

“The itinerary … was packed with worship, prayer, workshops, bible studies, fellowship, mentor groups with even a chance to explore the Gold Coast scenery. The speaker for the weekend was Associate Professor Andrew Cole, a Chief Medical Officer in Australia who led us through bible studies whilst delving into the Book of Daniel. Through the bible studies, we learnt about Daniel’s trust in God, Daniel’s strength to stand up for his beliefs and his willingness to live his life according to God’s plan. Andrew planted the seed by highlighting some ideas which led to some interesting discussions within our Mentor groups...

“On the Sunday, we were also given a selection of 4 workshops we could attend which were aimed at ‘sharpening Godly leadership traits’. I found both of the workshops I attended very informative and well worthwhile…

“Throughout the weekend, we were able to exchange ideas about events and activities to run within our CMF groups. I found everyone to be encouraging and very supportive. The conference was invaluable to me. I came away from the weekend with so much knowledge, many new skills, friendships and an experience I will never forget.”

To continue supporting our student leaders and vision conferences, CMFnz needs financial support. If you would like to support CMFnz as a regular giver or to offer a one-off donation please follow this link: www.cmf.nz/donations or email [email protected]