The Last Word
Larry Worthen, CMDA Canada Executive Director
This article originally appeared in the Spring 2025 issue of FOCUS magazine.
My wife Linda first connected with CMDA Canada in medical school at Dalhousie University in the late 1970s and early 1980s. She reconnected in 2003 by travelling to BC to a national conference at Harrison Hot Springs titled “Living on the Edge”. For her, CMDA Canada signified a fellowship of doctors and dentists who were living their faith in practice. Knowing there were other like-minded professionals across Canada was an encouragement. She was assured that there were others who had the passion to bring Christ to patient care by word and by action.
I became involved later when she invited me to several conferences in the 2000s. I found the organization to be very welcoming of members’ spouses and very accepting of a wide range of expressions of the Christian faith. I remember fondly Dr. Wayne Elford who was the thoughtful and very magnanimous Executive Director at the time. It was a small but faithful organization which was boldly moving into the future with only one desire – to integrate Christ into medicine and dentistry.
I would say that many doctors, dentists, and students come to CMDA Canada for the same reasons my wife did. They all have the same burning question: “How can we integrate our Christian faith into medical and dental practice?” In professional school this question looms large. With the massive workload and the overwhelming cultural onslaught, students wonder whether any part of their unique personality will be left after graduation. The reassuring answer to that question is yes, when you are under the protection of Christ. CMDA Canada is a place where we can have those conversations together and fellowship with people who are already on the way to answering these questions in their own lives.
It hasn’t been easy. CMDA Canada was founded in 1970 and looking back over our history there have been major challenges. I can think of a few – the failure of the Canadian parliament to legislate on abortion in 1988; the break with EMAS Canada around 2008; the legalization of euthanasia in 2016; and the arrival of COVID-19 along with the lengthy aftermath. There are probably many others of which I am not aware, especially at the local level. All of these events had a major impact on the organization because they have impacted our members. But we are still here, because the Lord is still good.
Perhaps the most persistent image that I have for CMDA Canada is a small sailboat making its way on the ocean. It is buffeted by the winds and the waves, harassed by inclement weather and even sometimes slightly off course. Its crew all understand that it is headed to a far off shore with a safe harbour for all of eternity. But for now, it is guided, protected and nourished by the love of Christ Himself.
This year is the 55th anniversary of CMDA Canada. The Board of Directors and staff will be embarking on another five-year strategic planning process. The theme for strategic planning this year is “Grace upon Grace”. As five is a number that symbolizes grace, so we are calling our 55th year anniversary “Grace upon Grace”.
Over the past few years, as we have faced great adversity, we have also seen an increase in divine intervention by the Lord. (But where sin increased, grace increased all the more. Romans 5:20) He has blessed us in so many ways. There is a miracle in our organization every day.
What are some of the signs of the Lord’s grace in CMDA Canada?
Charity – I see among the members a great bond of charity. This is of course readily seen in our conferences and is also apparent in our chapters and among our students. I am truly blessed to be working with the very dedicated and talented staff and volunteer team that we have from coast to coast. I have been the beneficiary over the years of great kindness and hospitality on the part of members during my visits across the country. I wish that you all could have experienced what I have experienced and seen what I have seen.
Answers to Prayer – Dr. Sandra Koke has been leading our prayer line for nearly ten years. So many times, I have asked Sandra and the prayer line to pray and the heavenly response has been unbelievably swift and precise. Many times I have prayed for the right staff person or volunteer to come along and the right person has – once the Lord sent me three perfect people at the same time! (I claim that they are angels with retractable wings!)
Unity in Diversity – CMDA Canada has never been a typical “ecumenical organization” in which people are unwilling to surface theological differences and just propose the “lowest common denominator”. Instead, members have felt free to dialogue about controversial issues so as to understand each other’s point of view. I once was approached by an Evangelical member and asked how I could tolerate the recent sexual abuse cases in my church. Never one to shrink from a challenge, I engaged in a lively conversation with the member which resulted in a full and frank sharing of views. I fondly remember this member and our interaction because of the true Christian love that was not afraid to be honest and forthright. Sadly for me, he has now passed away and is with the Lord. Perhaps he has checked to see which of us was right, or perhaps we were both right. We were two brothers in Christ struggling together to find the Truth.
Courage – God has given us the courage to take very difficult stands based on Gospel values that were largely countercultural. I think here about our advocacy on conscience protections across Canada and about our strong stand on the dignity of the human person with reference to current challenges in our country.
The Lord has been with us and has favoured His little sailboat navigating the stormy seas. It is His might and His determination that makes us who we are. He cannot ever be removed from medicine or dentistry because He created the human person and gave us the gift of being able to assist in another’s healing. People will always see Him in the midst of the miracle of healing. They will wonder about Him and want to talk to others about what they see. So, there will always be a need for CMDA Canada to host and support this discussion. And we are more needed now than ever before.
Let’s pray together: Thank you Lord, for 55 years of your providential care for us. As we face the future, we know that you will continue to be there for us. Lead on Lord, and give us favourable winds for the journey. Affectionally, your crew.