Fall 2019 Newsletter

Imago Dei

by James Anderson, MD
CMDA Richmond Council Member

Healthcare responsibility is and has been a wonderful vehicle to live out the marvelous truth and reality of Imago Dei. This truth, that God made humans in ‘His Image’ creates the very foundation as to how we value and treat people. This becomes the rudder of our decision-making process with all relationships—family, friends, as well as with our patients.

Imago Dei establishes the infinite worth and value of every human being because every human is created and designed by God. Since we are designed after His Image, we have been crafted and shaped to love people and to be a vessel of His goodness. This makes serving in Healthcare a privilege because it is so consistent with our design. Treating patients with value and dignity becomes a natural expression of our Creator’s design in us.

This truth and reality of Imago Dei also guide our decision-making process when confronted with today’s complex medical ethical issues. Because of the infinite value and worth of each patient, we remain an advocate and voice for our patients. This truth guides us when dealing with legislation and mandates that are harmful to our patients. Because of the complexity of these issues and the polarization of our culture, CMDA Richmond has been hosting ethical meetings one Friday a month and we will host a morning conference entitled “Living out Imago Dei in Today’s Healthcare Environment”.

We will look at:

1. Legalized abortion up to the day of delivery

2. Legalized Physician-assisted suicide

3. Drug therapy to delay puberty

4. Right of conscience and new guidelines

We hope you will consider joining us at St. Giles Presbyterian Church (5200 Grove Ave, Richmond 23226, VA) on Saturday, January 4, 2020 from 8-11:30 am. If interested in attending, please RSVP here.

Student Impact

Class of 2019 Senior Banquet

What a glorious time ending the Spring 2019 Semester with Graduating the CMDA Richmond Health Professional Class of 2019. We had 6 Medical, 1 Dental, 2 Pharmacy, and 1 Nurse Practitioner graduates join us for our Senior Banquet in May. It was an amazing time of fellowship, encouragement, and prayer. Read the Alumni Spotlight to learn about two of our 2019 graduates, Drs. Alex & Christine Reed, who graduated and were married on the same weekend. Their wedding was officiated by Dr. Scott Armistead.

This semester we kicked off the school year welcoming students and current Richmond practitioners to a summer cookout in August which proved to be a refreshing time with each other.

We are continuing with our Wednesday Bible studies in the Psalms and Thursday Fellowship for students. This semester on Thursdays during Thursday Fellowship we have been discussing Theology of the Body and on November 14th we will have Missionary Doctors Carlton & Karen Baer come share with us. More details in the upcoming events section.

The Lord is at work in Richmond and we are grateful for the relationships we have been able to foster with students. Please continue to pray for the work that the Lord is doing in RVA and consider donating to support this ministry. All donations are tax-deductible and can be made at this link.

Grace and Peace in Christ to you,

Scott Armistead, MD
Richmond CMDA Director

Krystal Mattox, DDS
Richmond CMDA Assistant Director

The Spotlight

Upcoming Events

November 7-9, 2019 – Global Mission Health Conference
Louisville, Kentucky November 7-9
Visit our website for more information

November 14, 2019 – Thursday Fellowship
6:00 pm at Leigh Street Baptist Church
Missionary Docs Carlton & Karen Baer

Monthly Friday Ethics Meetings
Next Date: November 15th at 6:30pm
Get more information by emailing [email protected]

January 4, 2020 – Living out Imago Dei in Today’s Healthcare Environment
St. Giles Presbyterian Church
RSVP here

Save the Date

The CMDA Richmond Banquet will be on March 6, 2020. We will be hearing from our new CMDA CEO, Dr. Mike Chupp. We can’t wait to see you there as you do not want to miss this great event!