26 Jun 2025, 10:05Enoch Kanagaraj BEMWatford, Hertfordshire, England, United Kingdom
Healing Beyond the Diagnosis: A Church Becomes a Catalyst for Change in Cancer Care
It started not with a statistic, but a story.
As Sbba Siddique took the microphone, the church fell into quiet stillness. She spoke with clarity and grace of surviving cancer, yes, but also of surviving silence. For many Ethnic women like her, the diagnosis itself is only part of the battle. The harder fight is against stigma, isolation, and being told to keep it quiet. On that Tuesday morning, she didn’t. And as she spoke, you could feel the shift in the sanctuary . Her words reached not just minds, but hearts.
That moment opened the Faith, Cancer & Hope Conference, hosted on 24 June 2025 at Stanborough Park Church in Watford. Organised by One Vision Charity in collaboration with Adventist Community Services, Macmillan Cancer Support, NHS Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB, West Herts Teaching Hospitals, and Hertfordshire Care Partnership, the event was more than a gathering. It was a movement in the making.
Held inside a Seventh-day Adventist Church known for its message of holistic healing and compassion, the event brought together over 130 attendees from across faiths, sectors, and communities. Together, they addressed a stark reality: while cancer care is advancing, many still fall through the cracks, especially those from marginalised or culturally diverse communities.
Opening the event, Sharon Platt-McDonald, Health Director at the British Union Conference and Trustee of One Vision, set the tone:
“As people of faith, we are called not only to care for the soul but for the whole person. This conference reminded us that health ministry is not an option for the Church. It is part of the Gospel commission.”
From national healthcare leaders like Dr Tanvir Alam and Professor Gurch Randhawa DL, to local community figures like Akhtar Zaman DL, Cllr Rue Grewal, and Dr John Melki, the message was consistent: we must treat the patient, not just the illness and faith must be part of the solution.
Prof Gurch Randhawa DL challenged attendees:
“We cannot have equitable healthcare until it truly reflects the people it serves. Faith leaders, community champions, survivors, these are not side voices. They are central to the future of cancer care.”
Kevin Hallahan, Health Inequalities Lead at NHS Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB, reinforced that message:
This conference wasn’t about ticking boxes, it was about building trust. This conference was a call for the leaders of our health care systems to challenge themselves, to recognise we don't need new solutions or insights, we have heard them today. Leaders need to shift the power to our communities to deliver the change in outcomes. If we listen, build trust enable capacity for education, learning and personalised care, the gap between healthcare systems and communities will only close and neighbourhood health will improve.”
Cllr Catherine McArevey, Mayor of Dacorum, added:
“When faith, community, and health professionals walk together, we create something far more powerful than services. We create safety, confidence, and dignity.”
Toby Hyde, Chief Strategy and Collaboration Officer at West Herts Teaching Hospitals, said:
“Our hospitals cannot do this alone. We need each other. Faith communities, charities, local leaders. The strength is in collaboration.”
From Macmillan Cancer Support, Gemma Peters, Chief Executive of Macmiilan support spoke with heartfelt urgency:
“Nobody should walk through cancer unsupported. Today showed what it means to build care that is not only effective, but human.”
Richard Ball, Head of Systems Investment at Macmillan, added:
“What One Vision is doing is not just community work. It is national leadership grounded in lived experience.”
Dr Tanvir Alam, Deputy Medical Director at NHS North East Essex ICB, said:
“Faith and personalised care go hand in hand. Events like this help us better understand the people behind the diagnosis and that is where true care begins.”
The event concluded with a stunning solo by soprano Alexandra Bell-Cobbold, whose voice echoed through the sanctuary with a message of courage, unity, and hope.
Reflecting on the day, Enoch Kanagaraj BEM, Founder and CEO of One Vision, shared:
“We are not here to run events. We are here to change lives. To make sure the next Sbba doesn’t feel alone. That the next person of faith doesn’t feel they have to choose between prayer and treatment. We are here to bring healing, body, mind, and soul.”
In a church that lives out the message of Isaiah 58:6–8, to “loose the chains of injustice” and “spend yourselves on behalf of the hungry and afflicted,” the day was a living fulfilment of faith through action. And in the spirit of 3 John 1:2, where the apostle writes, “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth,” the gathering brought eternal truth into present reality.
As Ellen G White reminds us in The Ministry of Healing,
“Christ’s method alone will give true success in reaching the people. The Saviour mingled with men as one who desired their good, ministered to their needs, and won their confidence.”
That is what happened at Stanborough Park Church. And it is only the beginning.
As One Vision’s Faith and Health Network Board continues its mission, the message from Watford is unmistakable. When faith meets health, hope becomes healing and healing becomes a witness.
One Vision is registered in England and Wales as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, Registered Charity No. 1192511
It started not with a statistic, but a story.
As Sbba Siddique took the microphone, the church fell into quiet stillness. She spoke with clarity and grace of surviving cancer, yes, but also of surviving silence. For many Ethnic women like her, the diagnosis itself is only part of the battle. The harder fight is against stigma, isolation, and being told to keep it quiet. On that Tuesday morning, she didn’t. And as she spoke, you could feel the shift in the sanctuary . Her words reached not just minds, but hearts.
That moment opened the Faith, Cancer & Hope Conference, hosted on 24 June 2025 at Stanborough Park Church in Watford. Organised by One Vision Charity in collaboration with Adventist Community Services, Macmillan Cancer Support, NHS Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB, West Herts Teaching Hospitals, and Hertfordshire Care Partnership, the event was more than a gathering. It was a movement in the making.
Held inside a Seventh-day Adventist Church known for its message of holistic healing and compassion, the event brought together over 130 attendees from across faiths, sectors, and communities. Together, they addressed a stark reality: while cancer care is advancing, many still fall through the cracks, especially those from marginalised or culturally diverse communities.
Opening the event, Sharon Platt-McDonald, Health Director at the British Union Conference and Trustee of One Vision, set the tone:
“As people of faith, we are called not only to care for the soul but for the whole person. This conference reminded us that health ministry is not an option for the Church. It is part of the Gospel commission.”
From national healthcare leaders like Dr Tanvir Alam and Professor Gurch Randhawa DL, to local community figures like Akhtar Zaman DL, Cllr Rue Grewal, and Dr John Melki, the message was consistent: we must treat the patient, not just the illness and faith must be part of the solution.
Prof Gurch Randhawa DL challenged attendees:
“We cannot have equitable healthcare until it truly reflects the people it serves. Faith leaders, community champions, survivors, these are not side voices. They are central to the future of cancer care.”
Kevin Hallahan, Health Inequalities Lead at NHS Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB, reinforced that message:
This conference wasn’t about ticking boxes, it was about building trust. This conference was a call for the leaders of our health care systems to challenge themselves, to recognise we don't need new solutions or insights, we have heard them today. Leaders need to shift the power to our communities to deliver the change in outcomes. If we listen, build trust enable capacity for education, learning and personalised care, the gap between healthcare systems and communities will only close and neighbourhood health will improve.”
Cllr Catherine McArevey, Mayor of Dacorum, added:
“When faith, community, and health professionals walk together, we create something far more powerful than services. We create safety, confidence, and dignity.”
Toby Hyde, Chief Strategy and Collaboration Officer at West Herts Teaching Hospitals, said:
“Our hospitals cannot do this alone. We need each other. Faith communities, charities, local leaders. The strength is in collaboration.”
From Macmillan Cancer Support, Gemma Peters, Chief Executive of Macmiilan support spoke with heartfelt urgency:
“Nobody should walk through cancer unsupported. Today showed what it means to build care that is not only effective, but human.”
Richard Ball, Head of Systems Investment at Macmillan, added:
“What One Vision is doing is not just community work. It is national leadership grounded in lived experience.”
Dr Tanvir Alam, Deputy Medical Director at NHS North East Essex ICB, said:
“Faith and personalised care go hand in hand. Events like this help us better understand the people behind the diagnosis and that is where true care begins.”
The event concluded with a stunning solo by soprano Alexandra Bell-Cobbold, whose voice echoed through the sanctuary with a message of courage, unity, and hope.
Reflecting on the day, Enoch Kanagaraj BEM, Founder and CEO of One Vision, shared:
“We are not here to run events. We are here to change lives. To make sure the next Sbba doesn’t feel alone. That the next person of faith doesn’t feel they have to choose between prayer and treatment. We are here to bring healing, body, mind, and soul.”
In a church that lives out the message of Isaiah 58:6–8, to “loose the chains of injustice” and “spend yourselves on behalf of the hungry and afflicted,” the day was a living fulfilment of faith through action. And in the spirit of 3 John 1:2, where the apostle writes, “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth,” the gathering brought eternal truth into present reality.
As Ellen G White reminds us in The Ministry of Healing,
“Christ’s method alone will give true success in reaching the people. The Saviour mingled with men as one who desired their good, ministered to their needs, and won their confidence.”
That is what happened at Stanborough Park Church. And it is only the beginning.
As One Vision’s Faith and Health Network Board continues its mission, the message from Watford is unmistakable. When faith meets health, hope becomes healing and healing becomes a witness.
One Vision is registered in England and Wales as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, Registered Charity No. 1192511
