Theme: You Can Do It!
The Reality of Following Christ as a Healthcare Professional

Can a person really follow Christ and be the best healthcare professional that he or she can be? Our speaker for this year’s winter conference answers that with a definite YES!

What’s lacking in many medical, dental, and allied health students’ lives is a living, breathing example of someone whom actually lives out his faith as a healthcare professional. Dr. James Avery (bio) has served as the Senior Medical Director at the Visiting Nurse Service of New York Hospice Care since 2004. His faith is foundational to his practice of medicine, and he takes the spiritual aspect of patient care very seriously. As an attending he implicitly teaches Christian principles to residents preparing to take care of patients at the end of their lives.

Practicing medicine and dentistry as a fully devoted follower of Christ does not have to be considered “pie in the sky” thinking or a pipe-dream that has no relevance to the real world of healthcare. Right now, consider taking this opportunity to explore what it might mean for YOU (yes, you!) to truly follow Christ and to spend your Martin Luther King Jr. weekend sharing, playing, and worshipping with fellow Christ-followers in healthcare!

Last year over 200 Christians in the healthcare fields attended. Come and be encouraged and renewed by the large group worship sessions and intimate small group discussions. Sandy Cove is a wonderful place to meet with God and step back from the pressures of healthcare training. Childcare is provided during all worship sessions. Limited scholarships are also available, first come first serve!

Important Links:
To download a PDF version of the brochure, click here.
Online registration is now closed; call 423-844-1049 to check availability.
Conference Schedule, click here
Conference Primer Click here

Conference Speaker:      
Dr. James Avery MD, FCCP, FACP, FAAHPM is the Senior Medical Director at Visiting Nurse Service of New York Hospice Care in New York City. Dr. Avery is a Fellow in the American College of Physicians, a Fellow in the American College of Chest Physicians, and a Fellow in the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. He is an Assistant Clinical Professor at the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine. In 2007, Dr. Avery was awarded the prestigious Roger C. Bone Award for National Leadership in End-of-Life Care. Dr. Avery loves teaching. He hates paperwork. He loves walking and eleven years ago walked up Mt. Kilimanjaro, the highest point on the African continent. He is especially glad to be speaking at Sandy Cove as he loves spending time with other believers and he is passionate about integrating faith and medicine. (Full bio)
 

Registration & Housing Costs:
Scholarships and rooms are limited, so register NOW!  Registration fee includes:  hotel room, all conference costs, Saturday breakfast, lunch, dinner, and Sunday breakfast.

$125 Single sharing room
$270 Private room (one-person)
$250 Married couple sharing (one couple gets bed, other gets sleeper sofa)
$340 Married couple
$140 Three people sharing
*PlEASE STATE ROOMMATE PREFERENCE ON CHECK OUT PAGE UNDER NOTES

Family Registration:
$52 Youth (Ages 12-17)
$33 Children (ages 5-11)
$00 Infant - free
To register as a family, select “Married Couple,” then select age group and number of children in that age group and repeat with other age groups if applicable

Scholarships:
To request a scholarship, check that box on the online registration form; pay full amount for registration option chosen; if received, scholarships will be refunded by payment method originally used.

Testimonies about WC 2008:
God really used that MLK weekend there to speak to my heart about His purpose for my life in the next few years. God was so faithful to use that "short" weekend to redirect this soul's path, and all it took was a willingness on my part to be instructed and molded. I would encourage everyone to attend WC 2009 because God is always faithful to meet you when you're seeking Him. "For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them." Matthew 18:20 -- Eunice Lee, MS1

WC has always been such a wonderful refreshing weekend of renewal full of incredible laughs, life-defining spiritual insights, and inspirational communion with God and His people. It can be quite physically draining, but at the same time, spiritually invigorating. There's so much power in the corporate worship. The bay is wordlessly perfect for quiet times of reflection with God. People are able to leave behind their busy lives and distractions and give themselves to each other and find pause to seek God's will and direction. –Daniel Chen, MS4

Location:
The beautiful Sandy Cove Conference Center is well equipped with a bookstore, prayer room, exercise room, indoor pool, delicious meals, and outdoor trails and fields. It is located 60 miles south of Philadelphia. Take I-95 to Exit 100-A (Southbound) or Exit 100 (Northbound) in Maryland, just South of the MD/DE state line. Take Rt. 272 South for 7 miles through Northeast, MD. Sandy Cove will be on the right. Registration will be in the Chesapeake Lodge lobby at 5:30pm. The first meeting begins at 7:30pm but get there early to avoid long delays in traffic. Friday dinner is on your own and there are several restaurants between the Interstate and Northeast, MD. Sandy Cove’s phone number is 1-800-234-2683 and their website is www.sandycove.org

What to Bring:
Layers of warm clothing, toiletries, money for your journey, Bible, journal, etc. camera if desired
Options for free time: modest one-piece swimsuit for the indoor pool or hot tub, recreational attire / equipment

Questions?
Email us at Misty.carter@cmda.org
or call our office at 423.844.1049

Proposed Winter Conference 2009 Schedule: 

Friday, January 16
(Dinner on your own)

  5:30 pm        Registration/Check-in
  7:00 pm        Pre-conference Worship
  7:30 pm        Session 1 (Auditorium)
  9:30 pm        Small groups

Saturday, January 17

  7:30 am        Morning Prayer (Auditorium)
  8:00 am        Time Alone with God
  8:30 am        Breakfast (dining hall)
  9:00 am        Exhibits
  9:30 am        Session 2 (Auditorium)
11:00 am        SMI Presentation/Break
11:30 am        Small Groups
12:30 pm        Lunch (dining hall)

 Free Time (1:30 pm - 5:30 pm) See insert for possible activities
1:30-2:30 pm Exhibit time/presentations
2:30 pm Silent Retreat (optional)
5:30 pm Dinner (dining hall)
6:30 pm Exhibits
7:00 pm Session 3 (Auditorium)
9:00 pm Small Groups
10:00 pm Bonfire (by the Bay, weather permitting)

Sunday, January 18

  7:30 am        Morning Prayer (Auditorium)
  8:00 am       Time Alone with God
  8:30 am        Breakfast with Small Groups (dining hall)
  9:15 am        Check out and load cars
  9:45 am        Session 4 (Auditorium)
11:30 am        Campus Groups/evaluations
12:15 pm        Pictures, farewells, group hugs
12:30 pm        Conference ends - (lunch on your own)