Chaplaincy Innovation Lab

Secularism is one way to describe how many older adults today approach questions about meaning, life, and purpose. How can chaplains effectively serve those without a religious affiliation or spiritual belief beyond the natural world?   

Join Elizabeth Pringle, principal of Improvement Matters, for a  conversation on caring for aging adults who describe themselves as  secular, humanist, agnostic, or otherwise unaffiliated with "mainstream" religion.

In this webinar, our guests will offer a presentation for chaplains on  psychedelic medicines, with a particular focus on psychedelics'  potential application for end of life and palliative care (EOLPC)  patients. The presentation will include an overview of data on  psilocybin therapy for psychological distress in EOLPC.

The Field Guide series is intended to offer a basic introduction to the profession of  chaplaincy, from education and training through to practice. Each  session includes an in-depth conversation with spiritual care  practitioners on topics of key importance to those considering careers  in chaplaincy. Join military chaplains Martine Joseph (USAF), Paul Minor  (MNG), and Wesley Sneed (USAF) for an accessible conversation on what  this work looks like and how others can get involved.

Thank you  to our sponsors for this season’s Field Guide series: the E. Rhodes and  Leona B. Carpenter Foundation; Bayan Chicago; Boston College School of  Theology and Ministry; Candler School of Theology; Claremont School of  Theology; Iliff School of Theology; Union Theological Seminary in the  City of New York.

How can chaplains address what patients believe are medical miracles?Join Dr. Sarah Byrne-Martelli, BCC and Carine Davila, MD for a conversation on how chaplains can best communicate with patients who talk about health miracles.  “We are praying for a miracle.” “It’s in God’s hands.” “Only God knows.” These statements likely sound familiar to any clinician who has cared for a patient with a serious illness. Yet even the most experienced clinicians may feel caught off-guard when patients and families use religious- or spiritual-based coping to guide healthcare decisions. This webinar will help chaplains better serve patients and families who turn to the miraculous in search of healing, or attribute medical progress to miraculous intervention.

In this session we will explore, with Rabbi Elliot Kukla, rest as a liberatory spiritual practice that can help us heal as individuals, strengthen loving relationships, and create a more sustainable future. We will begin by discussing the racist and exploitative origins of the stigma surrounding the term “lazy.” Next we will explore sources on rest from Disability Justice activists, ancient Jewish folk wisdom on the sabbath, as well as contemporary rest activists like the Nap Bishop. Finally, we will begin to uncover how to integrate rest into our own lives and spiritual practices.

Join Chaplain Jeffery Murphy of Tyson Foods in Carthage, MS for a  discussion of chaplaincy in a corporate setting. What does it mean to  support employees? What is the chaplain's relationship to the company,  and how does this impact spiritual care? We'll discuss this and more.

We thank our sponsor for this webinar, the Religious Freedom and  Business Foundation. Learn more at https://religiousfreedomandbusiness.org/.

The Institute of Harmonic Science (IHS) is a 501c3 nonprofit educational  organization established in 2000 and based in Phoenix, Arizona, USA.  IHS is dedicated to inspiring and growing communities of people who sing  together for healing and transformation. The Institute believes singing  in harmony integrates the body, mind and spirit while healing the heart  of humanity.

The Field Guide series is intended to offer a basic introduction to the  profession of chaplaincy, from education and training through to  practice. Each session includes an in-depth conversation with spiritual  care practitioners on topics of key importance to those considering  careers in chaplaincy; there are also opportunities for small-group discussion afterward (not recorded).

The Field Guide series is intended to offer a basic introduction to the  profession of chaplaincy, from education and training through to practice. Each session includes an in-depth conversation with spiritual care practitioners on topics of key importance to those considering careers in chaplaincy; there are also opportunities for small-group discussion afterward (not recorded).

Part personal narrative, part spiritual formation guide, Be the Brave One is the story of Rev. Ann Kansfield leaving the grind of Wall Street and finding her calling at a church in Greenpoint, Brooklyn; becoming the first female and openly gay chaplain at the New York Fire Department; and getting voted the inaugural New York Times New Yorker of the Year.

Guiding her story are the values that anchor her life in an adventurous faith and have allowed her to transform from “a run-of-the-mill capitalist jerk” into a pastor, chaplain, wife, mother, and spiritual leader.

Be the Brave One weaves gritty, real-life stories with witty commentary and practical faith to explore what it looks like to live out our convictions in our daily lives–and how that can radically change us and those around us. Ultimately, Kansfield’s story will leave readers both comforted and challenged to discover and live out their own spiritual values.