The Chaplaincy Innovation Lab (CIL), in collaboration with the Fetzer Institute, will host a conversation circle cohort for chaplains unaffiliated with a religious or spiritual tradition beginning late 2024. The program is part of our commitment to honor and support the work of all chaplains.
Conversation circles provide a venue for connection, conversation, and emotional and spiritual processing for unaffiliated (sometimes called “spiritual but not religious,” or other terms) chaplains across the United States. Chaplains from all sectors are welcome to join in a conversation led by paired facilitators over a series of bi-monthly, 90 minute sessions on Zoom for a period of several months. Interested chaplains should apply here.
Dates of circles
Joel Berning: Fridays, 2:30-4pm EST
11/22, 12/6, 12/20, 1/10, 1/24, 2/7, 2/21, 3/7, 3/21, 4/4
Jason Callahan: Wednesdays, 7-8:30pm EST
11/20, 12/4, 12/18, 1/8, 1/22, 2/5, 2/19, 3/5, 3/19, with 1 or 2 more to be slotted in
Vanessa Gomez Brake: Tuesdays, 4-5:30pm PST/6-7:30pm CT/7-8:30pm EST
1/14, 1/21, 1/28, 2/4, 2/11, 2/18, 2/25, 3/4, 3/11, 3/18, 3/25
Facilitators
Joel Berning is Director of Spiritual Care and Chaplaincy at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, where he has been a chaplain since 2010. His undergraduate degree is from Pomona College, his M.Div. is from Union Theological Seminary, his board certification is by the Association of Professional Chaplains, and he is a Certified Educator of ACPE: The Standard for Spiritual Care & Education. His research focuses on overcoming communication barriers to spiritual care.
Jason S. Callahan serves as an instructor in the Department of Patient Counseling, College of Health Professions, and as a chaplain for the Thomas Palliative Care Unit in VCU Massey Cancer Center. There, he provides pastoral care to patients, families and staff.
He holds an M.S. in Patient Counseling from Virginia Commonwealth University. He is a Board Certified Chaplain with the Association of Professional Chaplains and is endorsed by The Humanist Society. Prior to VCU, Jason worked as an advertising executive and as a counselor for individuals and families in crisis. Recently Jason was featured on Interfaith Voices, the nation’s leading religion news magazine on public radio in a segment called “Humanizing Pastoral Care,” which was a part of an hour-long broadcast: “Chaplains Part IV: Humanism at Harvard.”
Vanessa Gomez Brake (she/her/siya) is the Senior Associate Dean of Religious Life at the University of Southern California. She is the first humanist chaplain to serve in this capacity at any American university. In her role, she works to support and promote university religious and spiritual life broadly conceived, and helps oversee more than 90 student religious groups and 50 religious directors on campus. She also serves as an advisor to the USC Interfaith Council and the Secular Student Fellowship.
Registration questions may be directed to Michael Skaggs, Lab Director of Programs, at michael@chaplaincyinnovation.org.
The subscription options offered by the Lab are for individuals; professional chaplaincy associations, institutions offering spiritual care (e.g., healthcare facilities), and educational institutions are invited to become enterprise-level subscribers.
Get started by contacting info@chaplaincyinnovation.org.
You can also see our current organizational partners here.