IMPACT Student Conference 2013

Impact was held for the very first time across at Serpentine Baptist Camp in Perth, from the 25th to the 28th of April.  Over 180 students and recent graduates (and a sprinkling of graduates who are young-at-heart!) gathered to learn and share together about ‘fulfillment in Christ’, many making the trip across the Nullarbor for the weekend.  59 students attended an Impact for the first time this year!

The Rev Dr. Sam Chan, a lecturer at Sydney Missionary and Bible College, was the main speaker for the conference, teaching from the book on Philippians across four sessions.  Having completed his medical degree at Sydney, and also a Masters and PhD at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in the US, Sam combined passionate, perceptive bible-based teaching with often-humorous insights from his work in medicine, his Asian upbringing, and his rugby-playing days.  Sam’s talks are well worth a listen, whether you’re listening to them for the first time, or had attended and want to listen to them again!  They are currently available from here.

In his talk, Dr. Jeremy Beckett, who has been so inspirational and influential in the recent graduate and student movement in CMDFA, challenged us again to not search for our identity and fulfillment in ‘being a doctor’, using the story of Elisha and Naaman to illustrate our need for humility before our God and Saviour. 

We also had the privilege of hearing from Dr. George O’Neil and his work in combining medicine, creative invention and compassion to serve and change the lives of hundreds of people whose lives had been affected by drug addiction.

In addition to the talks, there were small discussion groups, a range of practical topics covered during elective time, a Thursday fun night complete with a life-sized board game which took up a whole gym hall, and lots of free time to build friendships, play games, or catch up on sleep!

We really want to thank the brilliant organising team in Perth, led by Dr. Beverly Teh, who managed to co-ordinate and plan so well while commencing internship!  Their hard work and passion for seeing medical and dental students and recent graduates blessed and nurtured shone through the conference, and we are so grateful for their service. As the Impact 2013 team wrote in their promotional material, Impact is a weekend to be inspired, a calibration point for our faith in our practice, a space to meet and grow in God, and a community of friends, many of whom become close brothers and sisters in Christ. 

We look forward to seeing you at Impact 2014!

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