by William Griffin, DDS, and Lindsay Hawkins

 

Among the most unique aspects of Christian Medical & Dental Associations (CMDA) is how the various ministry components address critical needs at every stage of a healthcare professional’s life. Our team ministers to pre-professional students, healthcare trainees from graduate school to fellowship, young professionals early in their careers, those seeking to add an international component to their patient care and the experienced practitioner willing to share their expertise with up-and-coming students and residents. For this reason, CMDA can indeed be a healthcare professional’s LIFELINE FOR A LIFETIME.

 

The Formative Years

A number of our lifetime members point to the formative role CMDA played in their training years. Grateful for the fellowship with like-minded students, they are attracted to a lunch-and-learn event by the offer of free pizza, and then they begin attending a Bible study. During this often-tumultuous time, some begin walking with Christ for the first time, while others discover the solid foundation the gospel provides for a lifelong career in healthcare.

 

“I became involved with CMDA during my second year of medical school. CMDA has meant so much to me throughout the years that I could never see a time where I would not want to be involved in some way.”

—Joshua Evans, MD, Carleton, Michigan

CMDA Member since 1999

Lifetime Member since 2014

 

“The demands placed on me as a dental student brought me to my knees begging the Lord for help, and in my weakness the joy of the Lord became my strength. It was a group of medical and dental students I met with regularly that showed me for the first time what it meant to abide in Christ.”

—William Griffin, DDS, Yorktown, Virginia

CMDA Member since 1981

Lifetime Member since 2024

                                                                                         

“I was introduced to CMDA when I was in nursing school at the University of South Florida College of Medicine in 1989. While attending a CMDA conference a few years later, God called me to Africa to help in the battle against AIDS.”

—Tracey Rzepka, APRN, PMHNP, Sarasota, Florida

CMDA Member since 1988

Lifetime Member since 2024

 

The Practice Years

You made it! You survived the educational phase of your career and are finally declared ready to provide the patient treatment, the very thing that first attracted you to the healthcare profession way back when. As your clinical skills and confidence grow, you discover new challenges that weren’t so obvious early on. How does a Christian in healthcare protect their right to practice according to the dictates of their conscience? How do I address my patients’ spiritual needs in a respectful and sensitive way? And where can I find others of like mind, so we can encourage and be encouraged by each other in our struggles and successes? CMDA resources such as Faith Prescriptions, CMDA Coaching and Standing Strong in Practice enable you to navigate the ongoing challenge of keeping Christ as Lord of both your personal and professional life. You lean on friendships built through CMDA ministry connections made through local chapters, regional conferences or the annual CMDA National Convention.

 

“I became a Lifetime Member of CMDA because I see disturbing changes taking place in American medicine that are impacting rights of conscience. I believe Christian healthcare professionals must band together as one raising a standard of righteousness and opposing the calling of evil, good.”

—Marc Chetta, MD, Greenville, South Carolina

CMDA Member since 1976

Lifetime Member since 2021

 

“The biggest way CMDA has impacted my life has been through the personal relationships I have made within its ministries. To have prayerful support and encouragement by fellow Christian physicians has been so uplifting. As a physician with my heart set on Christ, caring for my patients is ministry.”

—Hannah Evans, MD, Carleton, Michigan

CMDA Member since 2007

Lifetime Member since 2014

 

“I decided to become a lifetime member because I appreciate the relationships over several decades between friends and colleagues in CMDA.”

—Barry Wu, MD, New Haven, Connecticut

CMDA Member since 1987

Lifetime Member since 2024

 

“I was first introduced to CMDA’s Women Physicians in Christ around 2012. The following year I attended the WPC Annual Conference in Texas. I could not believe there was a medical conference that met my spiritual, emotional and intellectual needs all in one place! I have had an opportunity to serve with a phenomenal group of women and develop long lasting friendships.”

—Regina Frost-Clark, MD, Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan

CMDA Member since 2013

Lifetime Member since 2019

 

“It’s helped me do so much more than I could do on my own…I’m a small-town rural dentist, but being a part of CMDA has helped me just be a part of a bigger community. It’s helped me to be a part of an organization that stands up in advocacy for biblical truth. It’s helped equip me to serve as a Christian, as a man of faith.”

—Blake Westra, DDS, Mattoon, Illinois

CMDA Member since 2007

Lifetime Member since 2021

 

Passing It On

A few decades of patient care enable you to mature clinically and spiritually to the point of having much to offer the next generation of healthcare professionals. You begin working with students or residents to help them advance in their stills and spiritual maturity. As you begin to pass on what you have learned, the grace of God becomes acutely evident in how much He has taught you over the years, and whatever sadness might attend the twilight of one’s clinical career is overcome by the knowledge that what you have learned is being powerfully recycled into the next generation.

 

“CMDA provides a framework for the student chapter that we use at our dental college and which allows a Christian organization to be present on a secular campus. It provides training for our student leadership and just lots of ways to model and mentor young health professionals.”

—Van Haywood, DMD, Augusta, Georgia

CMDA Member since 2005

Lifetime Member since 2024

 

“Lifetime membership was a way for me to say that in the same way that I counted on CMDA as a student and young physician, CMDA could count on me both now and in the future to stand in the gap and commit to reaching the next generation of healthcare professionals for Christ and to equip them to fulfill the Great Commission.”

—Cathie Scarbrough, MD, Gadsden, Alabama

CMDA Member since 2001

Lifetime Member since 2023

 

“It is an honor to be a part of an association of Christians who feel as I do, that faith is at our core and naturally influences how we interact with patients, coworkers and business associates.”

—Dianne Watterson, MBA, RDH, Lexington, North Carolina

CMDA Member since 2001

Lifetime Member since 2024

 

What’s Your CMDA Story?

We truly appreciate the commitment of each of our members, who stand with CMDA in multiple critical areas—advocating for the vulnerable, nourishing students, fostering community across the nation and being the hands and feet of Christ in healthcare. Whenever you find yourself looking back on your career, perhaps currently or several decades from now, we pray you will recognize the faithfulness of the Lord in seeing you through, enabling you to represent Christ to a world that so desperately needs Him—and bringing the hope and healing of our Christ to that world through healthcare. It’s our sincerest hope that CMDA has been and continues to be your LIFELINE FOR A LIFETIME.

 

“Our Lifetime Membership in CMDA has paid dividends again and again. CMDA was our lifeline during medical school, and it continues to impact how we practice, how we deal with difficult ethical issues and how we strive to fulfill our callings. THROUGH CMDA, WE HAVE MADE LIFELONG FRIENDS.”

—Drs. J. Matthew and Cara Brown, Johnstown, Colorado

Matt, CMDA Member since 1990, Lifetime Member since 2011

Cara, CMDA Member since 1990, Lifetime Member since 2004

 

All of the above quotes are from members who chose to partner with CMDA for life. And we would love to add your story to the list! We love to hear how the Lord is using this ministry and using CMDA members around the globe to bring the hope and healing of Christ to the world through healthcare. Will you share your CMDA story with us? To share your story, visit cmda.org/mystory.

 

Lifetime Membership

When you become a CMDA Lifetime Member, you make a lifetime investment in bringing the hope and healing of Christ to the world plus make a lifetime commitment to the ministry of CMDA. It’s truly a lifeline for a lifetime. It also means no annual dues payments! Your one-time lifetime membership investment eliminates the need for annual dues payments for membership renewal. To learn more, visit cmda.org/lifetime or contact CMDA’s Member Experience Team for questions or assistance at 888-230-2637 or [email protected]. We’d love to hear from you!

 

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About the Authors

William T. Griffin, DDS, serves as CMDA’s Vice President for Dental Ministries. A member of CMDA since dental school, he has been a part of CMDA’s senior leadership team since 2019. He averages about four dental mission trips each year, and he also serves as the Director of CMDA’s Faith Prescriptions, designed to help Christian healthcare professionals address the spiritual needs of their patients. Dr. Griffin enjoys opportunities to communicate the love of Christ, domestically and internationally, through healthcare.

 

Lindsay Hawkins serves as CMDA’s Director of Human Resources and Member Experience. Lindsay joined CMDA’s Member Services department in 2018 and quickly became integral in continuing education efforts, member services and membership advancement. In 2021, she was named Membership Advancement Manager to oversee efforts to recruit and retain members. Her passion for people led her to take on the role of Human Resources Manager in 2022, where her responsibilities included recruitment and staffing, new employee orientation, benefits administration, improving HR software and systems, employee recognition programs and more. In her current role, Lindsay oversees human resources while also leading efforts to attract and retain CMDA members. She currently resides in Piney Flats, Tennessee with her husband Brian and their three children.