CMDA Canada Dental Ministry
This article will be published in the April 2022 issue of FOCUS.
Kate Brouwer
In late 2021, CMDA Canada received a directed donation which was intended to enrich CMDA Canada’s ministry. A portion of this funding was designated to hire a part-time Dental Ministry Manager, whose role would be to manage and help improve our outreach and service to our dental members. In March 2022, Dr. Kate Brouwer, a practicing dentist who has a passion for Christian ministry, joined our National Office team in the Dental Ministry Manager role.
My name is Kate Brouwer and I’m excited to be serving you as the Dental Ministry Manager. I look forward to hearing from many of you dentists to learn how CMDA Canada can meet your needs in new and engaging ways. I am not new to dentistry – I was part of Dalhousie’s Class of 1995. I am not a new Christian – I have been on that journey since about age 5. But I am intrigued about combining these two vital aspects of my life. I enjoy connecting with other Christians, I find that encouraging. Even though we have more options at our disposal than ever before to connect with one another, it is easy in today’s culture to find ourselves isolated and lonely.
In the months to come, I welcome your input on what value CMDA Canada brings to your life as a dentist. I want to hear what you think would encourage other dentists to seek out this excellent organization. I will be looking to God to see how he wants to use CMDA Canada to help our Christian dental community – maybe God will use your words to help accomplish that.
Many of you are part of a church family. I am passionate about the success of our local church. God has used that so often to keep me connected to Him. But for concerns in my life directly related to my role as a dentist, sometimes I wish I had the help from colleagues who are believers. Some of my patients attend the same church as I do, so I’m hardly likely to stand up and talk about stress or pressures related to my profession there. After all, the patients are the ones expecting encouragement, not the dentist! CMDA Canada provides a unique connection amongst Christian dentists that is a solid resource.
So what does the Dental Ministry Manager do? So glad you asked! I will be intentional about determining your needs and advocating for their fulfilment within CMDA Canada. CMDA Canada wants to promote the inclusion of dentist specific programs at our events. There is also opportunity to promote tools for evangelization among dental members and develop a compendium of services for the disadvantaged provided by CMDA Canada dentists. I am committed to serving Christian dentists and trusting God and the excellent CMDA Canada team to help me work at this. I would so appreciate your help.
For the physicians of CMDA Canada – can a stronger dental engagement in membership benefit you? Absolutely! There is the opportunity for Christian fellowship, which will appeal to the more extroverted. And for the introverts out there – CMDA Canada provides an easy way to educate your dental colleagues about the challenging ethical issues you face. There is a great advantage in helping more people learn about the specific challenges facing Christian physicians.
Feel free to contact me directly by email at dental@cmdacanada.org.