2020 at the Chaplaincy Innovation Lab
2020 at the Chaplaincy Innovation Lab
We can all agree that 2020 has been a unique and challenging year. In the face of these many challenges, the Lab has been focused on supporting chaplains and the field of chaplaincy with information, connections, resources and even moments of music and peace. If you would like to help us to continue our work and expand the ways we are able to support chaplains and advance the field of chaplaincy, you can do so here:
As with the field of chaplaincy itself, for the Chaplaincy Innovation Lab, the year 2020 has been filled with both challenges and opportunities. Based on your feedback, we think we have risen to the challenges and taken advantage of the opportunities to the benefit of all chaplains. Some of the many ways we have done this are:
- Delivering more than 60 webinars on topics including moral injury/moral distress, spiritual care for the LGBTQ community, caring for patients over Zoom, supporting staff well-being, diversity, equity and inclusion in spiritual care, and much, much more.
- Providing free access to 5 eBooks: Trauma and Moral Injury, Meditations on Chaplaincy and Spiritual Care, Caring for Those Who Care, Grief: The New Normal, and Spiritual Care Resources for Religious Holidays.
- Curating and developing resources to assist chaplains with meeting the challenges of providing care to patients with COVID-19 and their families.
- Providing grants, thanks to the generosity of the Henry Luce Foundation, to chaplain and administrator teams around the country to address the need to support staff resilience and self-care.
- Hosting monthly musical events designed to provide a moment of relaxation and relief in these turbulent times.
- Offering an online, 3-part series, A Field Guide for Aspiring Chaplains, that brings together those interested in the field with experienced chaplains from many roles and settings.
- Embarking on a first-of-its-kind project, with support from the Revson Foundation, to map Jewish chaplaincy across the United States.
- Partnering with various denominations to bring their chaplains into closer conversation with one another.
- Supporting colleagues at Brandeis and Northeastern University to explore how spiritual care and mental health providers can partner to address the needs of students today.
- Delivering a weekly newsletter focused on ensuring chaplains have access to the latest developments and opportunities in the field.
- Opening up the Lab’s private Facebook group for chaplains which now over 2,600 members.
- Working with theological educators at over 40 schools to find ways to strengthen and make more consistent chaplaincy education.
- Authoring articles highlighting the importance of chaplaincy and spirituality and encouraging others to do the same.
- And much, much more here at ChaplaincyInnovation.org.
All of this has been accomplished by a small full-time staff of 3 augmented by talented students and a few volunteers.
If you would like to help us to continue our work and expand the ways we are able to support chaplains and advance the field of chaplaincy, you can do so here:
As the year comes to an end, we are grateful for our team and volunteers, to all those whose funding and support makes our work possible and to the chaplains who do such important and meaningful work every day.
With deepest gratitude,
Wendy Cadge
