Papers and Workshops

Workshop and paper presentations

We are excited to introduce the following workshops and paper presentations at the conference. The times and spaces allocated for the workshops and papers are included in the conference schedule.

(The abstracts and author biographies appear, below. Presentations are listed alphabetically by first author's family name.)

Atheism + Christianity + Humanism = one chaplain's spiritual journey to wholeness through ongoing education, evidence and reason. (Geoffry Ballard, Aus)
Secularism, diversity and chaplaincy in 21st Century Australia. (Geoffry Ballard, Aus)
Our multifaith chaplaincy - serving our community. Dialogue in the diverse local diggings. (Patricia Blanks, Aus; Steve Blythe, Aus; Brian Stanmore, Aus; & Sandra Tunley Cooper, Aus)
What Jesus did and said: the practice of pastoral encounter in the gospel. (Erica Butler, Aus)
Institutionalisation of spiritual values. (Mabvuto Fitta Chipeta, Malawi)
Challenges and opportunities in multi-religious social architecture. Do multi-religious places open or close the door for religion and belief? (Jeremy MS Clines, UK)
Deep Search workshop. (Jeremy MS Clines, UK)
A bespoke chaplaincy: Strategizing your chaplaincy. (Andrea Colledge, Aus)
Digging deeper in the Science/Religion debate: The importance of worldview. (Alastair Donald, Scotland)
Variety of Chaplains’ Experience: Teaching the Next Generation of Chaplains. (Lucy Forster-Smith, USA)
Navigating identity and privilege in multi-faith engagement on a U.S. College campus. (Jan Fuller, US & Joel Harter, USA)
Reflective practice; Using metaphor and visual imaging to re-think university chaplaincy practice. (Christine Gapes, Aus)
Ecclesiastical experimenting with the institution. (Jools Hamilton, Ireland)
Mindfulness for college students: Cultivating spiritual wellness and compassion across traditions. (Joel Harter, USA)
Helping teenage university learners in a market culture to see the 'inner I'. (Orlando Ho, Hong Kong)
Auckland University of Technology Multifaith Chaplaincy. What does it have to teach us? (Linda T. Hope, NZ; Cate Thorn, NZ & Jean McElhaney, NZ)
Mindful walking - digging deep: Using the labyrinth in Higher Education (Cass Howes, UK & Katrina Jenkins, US)
A practical theology of suicide (Whakamomori) prevention. (Greg Hughson, NZ)
Nurturing faith and interfaith development on campus. (Greg Hughson, NZ)
Changing of the Guard? Christian chaplaincy negotiates new territory. (Carolyn Kelly, NZ)
Dialogue of the deaf? What I really do as chaplain, and can I tell my university? (Robert G Lingard, Aus)
When a student dies - and how the university remembers. (Donald MacEwan, Scotland)
Talking your walk: Nonviolent communication as an Interspiritual Path (Jean McElhaney, NZ)
Women in religious leadership. (Barbara Morgan Gardner, USA)
Honouring indigenous spirituality in our work and workplace. (Richard Murray, Aus)
Exploring Muslim chaplaincy in higher education in the United Kingdom: who, what and why? (Asgar Halim Rajput, UK)
Finding and creating sacred spaces. (Jay Robinson, Aus)
Pluralism and global citizenship: Peacemaking in higher education and the public sphere. (Ron Robinson, USA)
Deaf ministry on campus: Understanding the difference between communication vs connection. (Pauline Rose Moore, USA)
Islam and the religious 'other': Towards a more inclusivist view. (Discussion following Keynote address) (Abdullah Saeed, Aus)
Communicating religious pluralism as a spiritual value: A Buddhist university's experience. (Monica Sanford, USA)
Sustained compassion demands self-care; But how do we do that? (Monica Sanford, USA)
Students of refugee backgrounds can become participants and contributors in society, or alienated and radicalised. What can we do on campus? (Jill Shaw, NZ)
Digging documentary theatre: a mine for dialogue and diversity. (Tom Sherwood, Can)
Building a multifaith chaplaincy from scratch. (Thay Thong Phap, Aus)
JCU Interfaith Project: building relationships between faiths on campus. (Marney Walker, Claire Holland, Aus)
First-year students' conceptions and practices of spirituality: Initial findings at a New Zealand university and their implications for the task of chaplaincy. (Mike Wright, NZ)

Atheism + Christianity + Humanism = one chaplain’s spiritual journey to wholeness through ongoing education, evidence and reason

(Paper)

Our values need to be inclusive, accepting and open to challenge or change, and our spiritual journey always open to new possibilities.

I was an atheistic teenager without a clue. I was a young adult Christian looking for an identity and a sense of belonging. I was an ordained priest ‘surprised by joy’, and scared witless! I became a mature adult with an identity and scars working as a counselling psychologist. I am a happy gay humanist just content to be. Well almost (thank god for a good therapist)!

The spiritual journey or personal growth is full of potholes and surprises. I am still engaging with chaplaincy, this time in the Tertiary education sector. Chaplaincy allows time and space and the ability to listen and empathise so that the other can grow and be. I found these components in the church, the therapist’s room and deep friendship. But surprising things can happen as a result. I left my heterosexual marriage and my church, found the Quakers as an accepting half-way house, did further study, discovered what wasn’t lost, my sexuality and Humanism, and married a man.

Working class kid, mathematics teacher, educator, priest, chaplain, psychologist, and friend – our stories are unique. Like me, people will walk through the Chaplaincy door at a university with their own unique stories - as a student, a staff member, as a colleague. Are you listening?

Participants will be challenged to stop and reflect upon their own story and their work, that by being open in a relationship ‘the giver’, ‘the listener’ may end up being the receiver, the one who changes through the intersubjectivity of the space developed between the two participants in the conversation. A unique story may change you...What is your story and do students and staff get to see the effects in your chaplaincy role? Do their stories ever change you?

The presentation aims to stimulate thinking about change and acceptance, and the power of stories. How do you think upon a Humanist chaplain, the one working beside you, with you?

Geoffrey Ballard is a volunteer chaplain at both the Australian National University, and the University of Canberra. He was a psychologist and psychotherapist, as well as an educator, Anglican priest and industrial chaplain. Now as a Humanist he has been involved in the formation of a Humanist Society in Canberra, Australia and a fledgling Humanist Contemplative Community. He has a passion for friendship and the development of people.

Secularism, Diversity and Chaplaincy in 21st Century Australia

(Paper)

The purpose of this presentation is to present an argument for Humanists to have a place at the Table. The nature of universities has changed - they are secular and multi-faith. Chaplaincies in universities are welcoming of all faiths and no faiths but do not have a chaplain for those of ‘no faith’. It is time for change. There are Humanist chaplains in universities overseas and Humanist chaplains to hospitals in Australia.

I am a Humanist. I do not believe in any supernatural god. I believe in scientific evidence, reason, community development and empathy. Yet, I am a volunteer chaplain in an Australian university.

The general Australian community is no longer largely Christian. To be fully accepted as a caring modality in the community, modern chaplaincy/pastoral care must be inclusive, that is, including non-theism and Humanism.

There is spirituality without religion. Humanists also want to be sanctioned by universities to be able to engage with the many who claim no faith – ‘the good without god’ community. This is the opportunity for dialogue and diversity, whereby chaplaincy can focus on the quality of relationship between people of diverse faiths, and also those of no particular faith practice, hopefully resulting in deeper acceptance and understanding, something that can benefit all of humanity. Friendship and community are the keys.

A university education is remiss if it ignores life, and the question of meaning and purpose. Meaning and purpose can be found outside of religion. Chaplaincy attempts to open up that space. Humanism should be a welcome addition to this area, a place that encompasses friendship, belonging and the development of community.

I am not talking about another model of chaplaincy, but of a way of working together as fellow travellers on a spiritual journey. As a Humanist I have beliefs and values that inform my work as a chaplain. I want to start a new inter-faith dialogue that leads to further understanding and an acceptance of common values.

The participants will benefit by being challenged to rethink their perspective on chaplaincy and the need to be truly inclusive.

Our Multifaith Chaplaincy- Serving our Community. Dialogue in the Diverse local Diggings.

(Workshop)

In 1850 a local shepherd discovered gold and the city of Bendigo became the destination of people from all points of the globe. Overnight Bendigo became a multicultural, multifaith community. It seems only natural, that one hundred and sixty six years later a Multifaith Chaplaincy should be central at our University.

In this presentation our Chaplaincy Team will discuss our mode of operation, the challenges and realities we encounter, together with the benefits we perceive in the model of our Chaplaincy. Our Chaplaincy team members will reveal their individuality to enable you to see how very different people, from very different cultural backgrounds can work well together.

What Jesus did and said: The practice of pastoral encounter in the gospels.

(Workshop)

Chaplaincy emerged in western Christianity as the carrier of holy presence beyond consecrated space. In this it echoes the great theme of incarnation in John 1.

Glen Harold Stassen speaks of incarnational discipleship involving an approach of, “God revealed incarnationally, embodied historically, realistically, in Jesus of Nazareth, thickly interpreted.” My own work on women in the Gospels has taken a similar approach. The gospel accounts are taken at face value as witness testimony, but the editorial choices, worldview and cultural context embedded in them are mined to produce a dense interpretation of Jesus’ daily and habitual practice in his interactions with others and the significance of this for current applications. How does his practice of presence, availability, vulnerability, compassion, respect, humility, service and genuineness speak to the practice of pastoral care and chaplaincy in today’s secular University?

This workshop takes John 1 as an introduction and framework for gleaning insight from Jesus’ encounters with men and women, rich and poor, believers and doubters. As we explore them we may be challenged, affirmed or empowered, or all three, in our own practice of walking alongside people in our university community, whatever their spirituality, and whatever ours.

Erica Butler: in the 1990s Erica was co-ordinator of the UK based Global March for Jesus, an event that eventually reached 140 nations. This provoked a keen interest in cultural dynamics and study for an MA in Culture and Society. Returning to Australia ten years ago she settled near family in Coffs Harbour, NSW, where she has worked in local High Schools in Special Religious Education and Chaplaincy and is a Trainee Pastor. She is Pastoral Care Coordinator at Southern Cross University’s Multi-faith Chaplaincy.

Institutionalization of spiritual values

(Paper)

One of the major contemporary critical challenges of the chaplaincy work is the institutionalization of spiritual values. Military institutions of the Police and Army are operationalized in such a way that spiritual values are not their main core objective of their daily assignments. On the contrary, prognosis ascertains the fact that it is high time that institutionalization of spiritual values needs to be incorporated in military organizations for chaplaincy work to be meaningful.

There are cases of marital crisis among officers, stories of suicide, and other felonies that signify the relevance of institutionalizing spiritual values. Further, institutionalization of spiritual values promotes the internalization of integrity and moral values among officers. Corruption and bribery can be reduced significantly if spiritual values can be institutionalized in every military organization. However, there are a number of factors that lead to the failure of institutionalization of spiritual values in military organizations. Although the situation may differ from country to country and continent to continent, some factors are cross cutting that lead to the failure of institutionalizing spiritual values.

This paper begins by defining key words of institutionalization, spiritual, and values. Further, it progresses with the contemporary challenge of institutionalization of spiritual values. Additionally, it extrapolates the factors that precipitate the failure of institutionalization of spiritual values. Another section discusses the suggested solutions to the challenge of institutionalization of spiritual values. The summary provides the framework through recommendations that chaplains can use in the institutionalization process of spiritual values.

Mabvuto Fitta Chipeta is 34years, married with three daughters. He is a Chaplain at the Malawi Police Headquarters. He holds Master of Arts in Christian Leadership and doing his second Masters in Pastoral theology to graduate in 2017. He is one of the authors of two books with Adventist University of Africa. His passion is service to God and mankind.

Challenges and opportunities in multi-religious social architecture. Do multi-religious places open or close the door for religion and belief?

(Paper)

Three Assumptions and a Suggestion

If the West had simply become post‐Christian and secular, then the place of religion in public life would be minimal.
Instead, we find that public life has become post‐secular.
Our multi-religious landscape means definitions of religion, belief and spirituality intersect with human rights and equalities laws.
Creating multi-religious spaces could be called ‘social architecture’—a way of changing social systems and using social design values to build new spaces.

This affects, entirely, the establishment of multi-religious prayer spaces (for example in higher education institutions), since such examples of social architecture will never succeed in pushing back religion out of public life, but rather will lead to new conversations and encounters between the religious and secular aspects of society. They will also create opportunities for new multi-religious conversations about: what we can and cannot do and be together.

Jeremy MS Clines is Sheffield born and based, of colonial Australian and Arab‐Jewish descent. He’s served in higher education chaplaincy for two decades. Jeremy is involved in: ecotheology/eco‐liturgy; Leadership, Religion and Society; Faiths in HE Chaplaincy; liberating theologies; storying, LGBT+identities and the Church; Christian relationships with the World Religions; spiritual accompaniment and story-telling, Godly Play, Deep Talk; spiritual development and spiritual wellbeing.

Deep Search workshop

(Workshop)

Deep Search is a newly designed personal and spiritual development tool for people in higher education settings (staff and students). It works as an on-paper activity, but also via a brand new web application, both versions will be available at the workshop for chaplains to test!

“Personal enrichment can be part of the learning journey for students and staff in higher education settings. The objectives of Deep Search are to help people deepen their lives and broaden their understanding of spiritual development.”

Deep Search has been devised, tried, tested and improved over a 10 year period, by its author, Jeremy Clines, in collaboration with other chaplaincy colleagues at the University of Sheffield. Deep Search principles are these:

it uses a Quaker model of understanding the way we develop our beliefs in relation to our actions in the world;
combines this with spiritual accompaniment principles from the Christian tradition;
fuses this with the popularity of online self-reflective questionnaires; and
creates a flexible learning environment for people to navigate through in an encouraged direction of flow, but with plenty of options to self-select the way to explore the ideas.

A Bespoke Chaplaincy: Strategizing your Chaplaincy

(Paper)

In some instances, Chaplaincies can be developed with an eye as how a religious organization can fit into a secular institution without a larger strategic vision as to the position of the University on the domestic and global stage. This can lead to chaplaincies that are not strongly aligned to their institutions goals and values and are not capitalizing on the opportunity to directly contribute to the institution’s desirability as a University of choice for both international and domestic students. Further, there are chaplaincies that do indeed directly enhance a university’s reputation but who may lack the language to communicate this to the executive.

This paper aims to address several important questions:

How does a chaplaincy that is powerfully aligned with its institution’s values and goals contribute directly to the institution’s success in demonstrable ways?
How does a strong and vibrant chaplaincy directly enhance the desirability of an institution on the global stage?
How can the chaplaincy demonstrate and communicate its importance and value to the University?
How does strong and strategic management of the chaplaincy contribute to the above?

It is hoped that through the experiences at UQ, and dialogue in the wider chaplaincy community that an exploration of this subject can be undertaken.

Andrea Colledge: Born and raised in Toronto, Canada, Andrea has had a unique spiritual path. Born into a Jewish family, she spent thirteen years as a Pagan (Wicca) before drifting through Hinduism, Buddhism and even Scientology, finally meeting up with Lord Jesus Christ. Having survived the Anglican seminary, she now finds herself passionate about the most liminal type of ministry: Chaplaincy.

Digging deeper in the Science/Religion debate: The importance of worldview

(Workshop)

The ‘conflict model’ of the relation between science and religion is the default position of most western media portrayals of the issue, fuelling the religious scepticism of many campus students. Driven in large part by the shrill contributions of the ‘New Atheists’, the conflict template is poorly supported by the history of science, by the scope of science (properly understood), and indeed by many of the recent findings of science. No reputable historian of science supports the conflict view, and well-known skirmishes like the Galileo episode are clearly the exception rather than the rule. And whether we look up at the stars or down at the living cell there are many intriguing clues that the universe points beyond itself to a transcendent cause.

While giving attention to these matters, the main aim of the workshop is a practical one: to equip non-scientists to facilitate meaningful and respectful campus discussions on this issue by introducing them to the main issues and key interactive resources. Specialist scientific knowledge is not nearly as important as having a firm grasp that different worldviews are what is really at issue. Science has sometimes been hi-jacked by scientism – the view that science is the only way to truth – a position which is widely assumed but which is in fact self-refuting. The workshop will introduce the key TV/DVD resource The God Question, which has been broadcast in many countries and been widely acclaimed by religious groups and humanist groups alike as a balanced treatment of the subject. Mention will also be made of the Grasping the Nettle initiative by which all the main churches in Scotland have come together to promote discussions using this resource in a variety of civic, academic and media contexts.

Alistair Donald is Chaplain to Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland. A minister of the (Presbyterian) Church of Scotland, he served in a rural parish for ten years before taking up his present post in 2009. He has a particular interest in the relation of science and faith, having a doctorate in environmental science and having worked in that field for some years prior to ordination.

Variety of Chaplains’ Experience: Teaching the Next Generation of Chaplains.

(Workshop)

For the past two years Dr. Forster-Smith and The Rev. Dr. Kerry Maloney of Harvard Divinity School have taught a course entitled, Introduction to Higher Education Chaplaincy to Divinity School students from institutions around the Boston, Massachusetts area. The course tackles the essential components of university chaplaincy in the 21st Century. Using the volume of essays edited by The Rev. Dr. Forster-Smith published in 2013, College and University Chaplaincy in the 21st Century: A Multifaith Look at the Practice of Ministry on Campuses Across America, (Woodstock: SkyLight Paths, 2013), students engage a variety of models of ministry on campuses across America.
This workshop will provide participants an opportunity to learn about how this course is structured, a view of the topics students found important, an overview of components of the class and several case studies that provide a depth look at the challenges of chaplaincy in the 21st Century. Highly participatory, those engaged in the workshop will explore a variety of models of ministry from professor/chaplain to hyphenated identity (Methodist/Buddhist) chaplain to chaplains that work from very specific religious/spiritual/ethical identity, institutional or personal and engage wide range of publics within higher education. At core of this workshop the question arises: what is chaplaincy in the 21Century and how do and how will chaplains inhabit this work as it unfolds before us today and in the future.

The Rev. Dr. Lucy Forster-Smith is Sedgwick Chaplain to the University and Senior Minister in the Memorial Church, Harvard University, USA.

Navigating Identity and Privilege in Multi-faith Engagement on a U.S. College Campus.

(Workshop)

This workshop will provide theoretical frameworks and practical content on how different forms of privilege and intersecting identity (religious, racial/ethnic, gender, sexuality) create challenges and opportunities for multi-faith engagement on a college campus. Theoretical frameworks include social justice education, race and gender studies, and comparative theology, combined with stories, reflections, and exercises from the multi-faith engagement program at Elon University. While the immediate context will be an increasingly diverse university in the southern United States, many of the issues discussed have wider relevance to global experiences with religious pluralism, ethnic diversity, migration, and xenophobia. The workshop will be instructive to anyone developing diverse, pluralistic, and inclusive community within university contexts that are historically homogenous, with particular emphasis on white and Christian privilege and the challenge of building interfaith community that includes and does not alienate the majority Christian community. There will also be reflection on how recent events in the United States have elevated concerns and tensions around racism, religious intolerance, and sexual identity, including the #BlackLivesMatter movement, notable incidents of Islamophobia, and the heightened debate about marriage equality and religious freedom.

The workshop will present an emerging framework, engage participants in discussion and reflection, and provide helpful resources and suggestions for campus multi-faith work that positively affirms multiple, fluid, and intersecting identities and diverse experiences of privilege. This will include sharing and reflection on ways that diversity education and inclusive community at Elon University have encountered various expressions of dominant fragility (including both white fragility and Christian fragility) as potential obstacles that must be recognized and navigated in effective multi-faith work.

Jan Fuller is the University Chaplain at Elon University (North Carolina). A graduate of Yale Divinity School and ordained in the Episcopal Church, she grew up in Beirut, Lebanon, and has many years' experience facilitating cross-cultural and multifaith engagement. Currently, she is developing the multifaith engagement program at Elon and working to promote reconciliation and counter Islamophobia

Joel Harter is the Associate Chaplain for Protestant Life at Elon University (North Carolina), with graduate degrees in religion and literature from the University of Chicago (Ph.D.) and Harvard Divinity School (M.T.S). He is being certified to teach Mindfulness with the Koru Center, using a program developed for emerging adults at Duke University.

Reflective Practice: Using Metaphor and Visual Imaging to re-think university chaplaincy practice.

(Workshop)

Metaphorical imagining releases perceptive diagnoses; granting greater awareness of how we feel and think about particular people, places, events and issues.

This workshop will present an introduction to one method of guided meditation which discerns the metaphors lying beneath our surface consciousness and helps us understand, change and enhance the way we “do” chaplaincy and “are” chaplains. Through the use of guided meditation, new symbols, metaphors, and images rise to help us “see” in a new way how we are feeling or what we are thinking about particular people, places, events and issues. Increased self-awareness may provide red flags that warn of burn out, or give “aha” experiences for new ways of doing and being and so develop greater congruency for satisfying, ethical and effective ministry.

Christine Gapes has been a Uniting Church chaplain at the multi campus Western Sydney University for 9 years; recently appointed by the university as one of its two inaugural Chaplaincy Coordinators. Christine has taught youth ministry and field education at Australian, US and English theological colleges. Her grief research into young people’s reactions to the Port Arthur tragedy has led to an e-book of Psalms, pictures and commentary (The Day was Long: Reflections on Port Arthur, Sunday April 28, 1996.)

Ecclesial Experimenting within the institution

(Workshop)

What does it mean to ‘build church’ on the campus? Are chaplains just available as a service ministry toward students, or can the work of chaplaincy challenge the very nature of ‘church’ in an attempt to re-evaluate and re-imagine how God might be moving and transforming the societies in which we live?

Ireland has recently experienced a media storm (in a teacup) around the area of third level chaplaincy. The central itch – why does the tax payer pay for chaplains at 3rd level, while so few people attend Mass? Freedom of information requests have come flying in, articles and counter articles have been written. Chaplains have been called into the mangers offices to explain their work. And chaplaincies have become defensive places, fighting for their right to care for students in secular-pluralist universities. All the while student, issues remain the same.

Digging deeper into the diverse notions of ‘church,' this workshop will offer questions of ecclesial community on campus alongside questions of God-transformation, resource, and tax-payers money. It will seek to understand how these questions can sit together for the good of all and for the good of ministry in the campus. What’s happening in your country, and how can we learn from each other?

Rev Dr Julian Hamilton is currently serving as the Methodist Chaplain to Trinity College Dublin. Prior to becoming an ordained minister of the Methodist Church in Ireland ‘Jools’ spent over a decade working in youth ministry – Firstly for the national youth office of the Methodist Church, and then to a much wider clientele. He has been a conference and retreat speaker/teacher in Ireland, the UK, Europe, America and Australia.

Mindfulness for College Students: Cultivating Spiritual Wellness and Compassion across Traditions.

(Workshop)

Two priorities for religious and spiritual life at Elon University, and many similar non-sectarian colleges, are reaching non-affiliated students (the so-called NONES, including those who are “spiritual but not religious”) and creating opportunities for multi-faith engagement across religious traditions. This workshop will share ways that the chaplains at Elon University have used Mindfulness to engage students from diverse religious traditions and no traditions. This includes ongoing support for a thriving student-led meditation club, a new yoga club for students who approach yoga as a spiritual practice, a weekly 20 Minutes Still meditation time, Mindfulness workshops and 4-hour retreats for students and community members, presentations to departments and student groups across campus on Mindfulness and wellbeing, a yearly Mindfully Christian beach retreat, and programs that encourage dialogue across traditions about prayer, meditation, and Mindfulness practices.

This is a three-part workshop. In the first part, we will review the research on Mindfulness with emerging adults and outline the unique partnership at Elon University between Health and Wellness, Counseling Services, and Religious Life to offer Mindfulness workshops and retreats for students based on the Koru Mindfulness program developed at Duke University. We implemented the program to help students manage stress but discovered that Mindfulness also brings students together from diverse religious backgrounds and nurtures the inner lives of students, including those who do not consider themselves religious or spiritual. In the second part, we will unpack the spiritual significance of Mindfulness, as a life practice informed by Buddhism, but with the potential to resonate with students from diverse traditions. We will include stories, results, and reflections from our own Mindfulness programs and events, as well as practical resources and suggestions from multiple traditions for engaging students with Mindfulness. In the final part, we will invite the group to participate in a Mindfulness exercise, to process together our various spiritual connections with the exercise, and to share how such exercises work with emerging adults to help them become more aware of their spiritual lives and connection to others.

Helping teenage university learners in a Market Culture to see the “inner I”

(Paper)

This paper aims to share practices on curriculum design and pedagogies which aim at helping university teenage learners (living in a metropolitan environment) to see and be connected to their “inner I”. The paper will be based upon real life classroom teaching experience derived from teaching “Faith and Reason” at The Hong Kong Institute of Education. Educational principles and methods that touch upon and challenge – and perhaps also overcome – most learners’ pre-understandings and beliefs about their selves, their epistemologies, and their worldviews will be shared. The baseline and expected educational learning outcomes for the learners are that they should at least see the world with a deepened and enlightened awareness based upon their “Inner I”. The expected outcomes of this proposed paper are thus two-folded. First, educators in the field would be mutually benefitted while gaining an awareness about the “Inner I” as an essential and available building block for interreligious dialogues. Secondly, since the “Inner I” has been in the background as the foundational cornerstone for most of the core teachings of most religions, helping learners to get see it is equivalent to showing them the spirituality gateway of self-exploration, self-care, and self-development. And in relation to the context of this proposed paper, this would be equivalent to giving the youthful learners in Hong Kong an invaluable philosophical and spirituality experience, which not many of them have had when growing up in the strongly competitive, commercial, and the often very externally driven “multicultural” Market society of Hong Kong.

Dr. Orlando HO (from The Hong Kong Institute of Education) is an educator, a spiritual-humanist, a historian and a philosopher. He has degrees in history, translation, education, Christian studies, defence studies, economics and management. As a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Linguists (UK), his historic-critical research projects are on reading The Epistle to the Romans and its ethical teachings.

Auckland University of Technology Multifaith Chaplaincy. What does it have to teach us?

(Workshop)

What: AUT is committed to upholding and protecting all students and employees’ freedom of religion and beliefs. The first Multifaith Chaplaincy team in Aotearoa/NZ began at AUT. Perhaps an aspirational model for chaplaincy, as chaplains of many faiths working together we recognise the model is evolving, being shaped in response to need as it is populated by a pluralistic community of people, who hold various religious, spiritual, faith based and non-faith based beliefs. Multifaith chaplaincy at AUT is embedded in a learning environment, what has it to teach us?

How: Representatives of the AUT Multifaith chaplaincy team will present a short overview of the AUT context before seeding conversation for discussion around the challenges of taking seriously engagement with people of other faith/s or no faith such that we expect God encounter in our meeting, are willing to learn from and be changed by such engagement. It is intended for participant interaction to direct discussion.

Benefits: Participants in this workshop will be invited to actively engage in and explore challenges arising for them from real time chaplaincy contexts where increasingly faith perspectives are different, selective or not at all. Using the AUT multifaith chaplaincy model as a springboard for discussion, there will be invitation to reflect on our own context, to explore how well/ whether we listen that we may learn from those who differ, to release the wisdom in each other to benefit the communities we serve. Be prepared to be stimulated, disturbed, challenged, and affirmed by who we are yet still becoming.

Reverend Linda T Hope BA, BTHEOL, LTH is a Minister of the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa-New Zealand. She has been ordained for over 20 years and worked in: parishes, schools, the military (Royal NZ Air Force), the Seafarers’ Centre, community and private business. Since 2009, Linda has voluntarily worked nationally for her Tokelauan ethnic group in Tokelau and Aotearoa-NZ. She is a published researcher on a range of issues like sexual violence prevention and access to palliative care.

Reverend Cate (Catherine) Thorn BTHEOL, PGDipTHEOL, is a Priest in the Anglican Church of Aotearoa, New Zealand and Pacifica, ordained for 12 years. Catherine has worked in Auckland in full time ministry in a variety of contexts from Cathedral to local community. Prior to ordination Catherine worked in business. Currently involved in community work, Catherine works with people living with mental health challenges and intellectual disability. She companions people on spiritual and theological retreats.

Reverend Jean McElhaney is an interfaith minister, ordained by One Spirit Interfaith Seminary in 2008. In 2012, she was initiated as a cheraga into the Sufi Order. She came to New Zealand in 2012 from the United States, where she worked as a licensed clinical social worker and professional counsellor. Her interests include contemplative spiritual practices, spiritual activism, nonviolence/peace, conflict transformation, Dances of Universal Peace, and Compassionate Nonviolent Communication.

Mindful Walking - Digging deep : Using the labyrinth in Higher Education.

(Workshop)

This workshop will explore the history of the labyrinth and it's re-emergence in the 21st century as a tool for mindful reflection, re-balancing one’s psyche, problem solving and counteracting stress. We will learn how to draw a simple classical labyrinth and then create a labyrinth of our own, which we will then walk . Our exploration will cover how the labyrinth can be used in a myriad of ways in Higher Education, drawing on our own experience and the experience of workshop participants. Whether you have a lot or no experience of using the labyrinth, this workshop will enable you to reflect on the usefulness of using the labyrinth and enable those new to using the labyrinth to get started.

Rev Cassandra Howes, an ordained Methodist Minister, is one of two Coordinating Chaplains at the University of Bedfordshire UK. She has pastoral and spiritual responsibility for campuses in Bedford, Milton Keynes and Aylesbury. With thirty years’ experience in university chaplaincy, she created the first multi faith chaplaincy in a UK university, in 1993, and has recently contributed to a report of the Free Churches Group UK on the contribution of the Free Churches to Higher Education. She represents CEUC (Conference of European Chaplains) on IACHE and is currently the Chair of the International Association of Chaplains in Higher Education.

Rev. Katrina Jenkins holds a Bachelor of Science in Speech Communication from Syracuse University, and a Master of Divinity from Andover Newton Theological School in MA. Currently, Katrina is the Chaplain at Illinois College-a position she began in June of 2011. Before moving to IL, Rev. Jenkins served as the Protestant Chaplain at Bentley University in Waltham, MA. She also is certified to lead workshops on labyrinths, and is a “facilitator-in-training” for the Center of Courage and Renewal.

A Practical Theology of Suicide (Whakamomori) Prevention

(Workshop)

Over 500 people die from suicide in Aotearoa-NZ each year. Thousands more New Zealanders, including University and Polytechnic students, attempt suicide. This workshop will reflect on suicide from the perspective of a Christian minister and Chaplain who has experience of offering pastoral care to potentially suicidal people, and to families and friends bereaved by suicide. I will present a range of Christian theological understandings   of suicide. These understandings emerge out of varied experiences of God, human sexuality, and diverse attitudes towards the significance of our embodied lives.

Suicide is theologically problematic. What does it mean to be created in God’s image, and to be suicidal? How might the teaching of Jesus  relating to “life in all its fullness” and “abundant life” impact upon our practice of helping vulnerable people to find hope again and to choose life? Specific pastoral, practical and multi-faith approaches to suicide prevention will be presented, with the aim of enhancing our capacity as Chaplains to preserve and enhance life. Every life matters.

Rev Greg Hughson (M.Sc., B.D.), a Methodist Minister, has been Ecumenical Chaplain at Otago University in New Zealand since 2000. He is keen to explore the spiritual dimension of every area of life. His ongoing research interests include faith development and suicide prevention. He is committed to respectful interfaith dialogue. He currently represents the Aotearoa-NZ Tertiary Chaplains’ Association on IACHE. http://www.otago.ac.nz/chaplain

Nurturing faith and interfaith development on campus

(Workshop)

Christian Tertiary Chaplains have traditionally been involved with nurturing both faith and hope amongst members of the Christian community on campus. This paper will explore the nature of faith and hope as deeply human qualities which modern-day Chaplains can, I believe, help nurture in all students and staff. I want to suggest that Christian Chaplains need not and should not restrict their faith and hope nurturing activities to Christians, or to any one group. I will attempt to define both faith and faith development, and illustrate from interfaith experience how I have sought to nurture both faith and hope in all people at Otago University, from 2000-2016. The workshop will provide an opportunity for all who attend to share experiences and learnings in the areas of faith nurture and interfaith.

Changing of the Guard? Christian chaplaincy negotiates new territory.

(Paper)

This paper explores some of the challenges and opportunities for historic Christian chaplaincies in increasingly complex environments.

Traditional approaches to tertiary ministry struggle to adapt to rapid changes in their contexts: increasingly diverse campuses and cities. Chaplains often find themselves marooned, guardians of cumbersome buildings (from which they occasionally venture into foreign territory) or representatives of denominations no longer occupying the public square.

Chaplaincy at the University of Auckland - in the heart of one of the world’s most diverse cities - is a case study for reflecting on this changing milieu and chaplaincy as a ‘guardian’ of spiritual care in a secular institution. Its 50 year history charts the altered religious landscape in the late-modern West, and particular tensions in chaplaincy identity and values: Christian and multi-faith; ‘ecumenical’ and sectarian; public faith and private spirituality; establishment Christendom and post-modern fluidity; European pakeha dominance and ethnic diversity, and so forth.

I also consider some shifts in public tertiary education and the values which now dictate the terms of occupation. Of particular interest is how chaplaincy fares under a new line of command within the university Student Services: what is meant by ‘pastoral care’ and implications for chaplaincy as faithful presence on campus.

Finally, I will suggest one or two possible responses – ways to reimagine Christian chaplaincy - not so much to ensure its survival but as an offering, and creative agent, of peace.

Carolyn Kelly is currently Maclaurin Chaplain at the University of Auckland (NZ) where she began undergraduate studies in the Arts in the 1980s. Since then, she has also studied Divinity (Otago, NZ; Aberdeen, Scotland), and was recently ordained. She is interested in the future of faith in late-modern cities like Auckland, where she lives with her husband Mark and young-adult children.

Dialogue of the deaf? What I really do as chaplain, and can I tell my university?

(Paper)

This paper asks if a chaplaincy service and the university are able to truly communicate about the real substance of spiritual ministry on campus. This reflection arises in response to the tension experienced when it comes time to provide detailed reports to the university about the interpersonal and intangible nature of ministry on campus. It is written with the assumption that there is great value to be found in reporting chaplaincy activities, as has been described in other chaplaincy domains. However, it also seeks to address the criticism that spiritual ministry is eroded when it is forced into the language of counts and measures.

An autoethnographic approach is applied to review personal reporting of university chaplaincy activities over a nine year period to reveal a disconnect between what is done by way of spiritual ministry, and what is given in written reports. Further, a review of chaplaincy literature and personal practice reveals a list of 23 different tasks and activities that might be reported as part of chaplaincy function.

The conclusion that is reached in this presentation is that reporting of the intangible may be done within the constraints of a consciously acknowledged compromise that incorporates the language of the spiritual and the language of the technical measure. Such a compromise, while tenuous, offers a space for dialogue between the chaplaincy service and the wider university, while preserving the integrity of each.

Robert G Lingard is senior Pastoral Care Coordinator and chaplain at Southern Cross University, in regional Australia. He is a pastor of an independent, Christian congregation. Robert holds qualifications in human genetics and divinity and is presently completing his PhD studies in sociology through which he is investigating how values were placed in the Australian bio-ethical debate of human cloning. Robert is Vice-President of the TCMA, and is a member of the global committee.

When a Student Dies – and How the University Remembers.

(Paper presentation)

The University of St Andrews in Scotland is over 600 years old with a rich Christian heritage found in two medieval chapels, regular worship, and the expression of faith on University occasions such as graduations. The student body reflects contemporary society in its mix of people of different faiths and philosophies of life – a diversity respected in the University’s Chaplaincy and Chaplains. So how does the University respond, through Chaplaincy, when one of our students dies? Specifically, what approach should the Chaplaincy take, on behalf of the University, in any service of thanksgiving for the student’s life? All such occasions emerge from particular dialogues between family and university, students and staff, sacred and secular, traditional and novel, youth and maturity – depending on the circumstances; and the overarching context is of the recognition of spiritual diversity. Reflecting on specific examples, this paper will explore the purpose behind any such service, how it is planned and by whom, whose voices are heard in it, how it reflects the convictions of the student who has died and those who were closest emotionally, the use of music, symbol, scripture, wisdom and personal reminiscence, and how the service is connected or not to the funeral. Examples of good practice will be discussed, in which the service reveals the University to be a community committed to the formation of students beyond narrow academic goals, while providing pastoral care to students and staff in need. Approaches which, by contrast, show how easily the wrong path can be followed in this sensitive area will also be explored.

Donald MacEwan has for five years been Chaplain to the University of St Andrews in Scotland. An ordained minister in the (Presbyterian) Church of Scotland, he leads an inter-faith Chaplaincy team focussed on worship, pastoral care, inter-faith relationships and international students befriending. He has taught English in Japan, and Japanese in Scotland. This is his first time in Australia.

Dances of Universal Peace

(Workshop)

The Dances of Universal Peace (DUP) are a spiritual practice that blends chant, music, and simple circle dancing into a living experience of unity, peace, and integration. They draw on the sacred phrases, scripture, and poetry of the many spiritual traditions around the world. They appeal to people of many different religious and spiritual traditions as well as those who consider themselves "spiritual but not religious" or identify with no specific spiritual path. No previous experience is necessary.
The Dances were originated by Samuel Lewis, a spiritual teacher in San Francisco in the late 1960s. He was a Zen master and Sufi murshid who studied many sacred traditions, including Jewish, Hindu, and Christian mysticism. He created this practice to help shift people's consciousness so they could become both more grounded and spiritually awake, with more peace, a clear mind, and an open heart. Since then, the DUP have been enjoyed by people of all ages in countries worldwide.

Talking your Walk: Nonviolent Communication as an Interspiritual Path

(Workshop)

Whether people follow a traditional religious path, consider themselves spiritual but not religious, or just try to journey through life as decent human beings, we likely value treating ourselves and others as worthy of respect, love, and consideration. We would like to connect with people and do not like when judgments (of ourselves or others) get in the way.

And yet, this can be challenging in our daily interactions!
·         What would it be like if you could speak in ways that matched your heart’s intentions?
·         If you had ways to remember, even when emotionally upset, how to communicate in a way that matched your values?
·         If you talked and listened to yourself with as much compassion and empathy as you would have for your dearest friend?

Compassionate Nonviolent Communication (NVC) is a practical spirituality that aligns us with the value of compassion, shared among traditions. It helps us connect and remember our shared humanity across differences.   This introductory workshop will offer a taste of NVC that you can begin to apply immediately.

Women in religious leadership.

(Workshop)

The number of women in religious leadership positions has grown dramatically over the last half century. Although much research has been done in areas of leadership, including women’s leadership, little has been done regarding women’s religious leadership. Many chaplains, including myself, have gone into their present positions without female role models, but rather are breaking ground in their field. This workshop will provide a holistic view of women’s religious leadership by digging deeper into the lives of women religious leaders from various religious constituencies throughout the United States, including Muslims, Protestants, Jews, Catholics, Mormons and others. Through personal interviews discussing their background, training, leadership styles, religious background and culture, perceived roles, and other topics, a rich reservoir of experience and wisdom will be displayed. The research will look at a variety of variables that could impact these findings including socioeconomic status, religious formation, education and age. By sharing first hand experiences and stories from women in religious leadership positions, this workshop will not only prove to be informative, but also inspirational. This workshop will also include advice regarding how women religious leaders can avoid stumbling blocks and make them into stepping-stones of success. It will also discuss needs of the rising generation and possible effective mentoring strategies to help guide and create future female religious leaders. Although a large amount of research will be presented at this workshop, it will be very engaging as attendees reflect on their own leadership, participate in ongoing research, and dig deep to become more effective leaders.

Barbara Morgan Gardner is an assistant professor of religion at Brigham Young University. She served as the Youth and Young Adult Religious education leader in Boston, Massachusetts overseeing all students associated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS or Mormon). As part of this assignment she served as the LDS Chaplain at both Harvard and MIT, the first female to receive this assignment . Her research interests focus primarily on religious education, including interfaith dialogue as well as international Church education.

Honouring Indigenous Spirituality in our work and workplace

(Workshop)

This presentation seeks to have participants explore the place of indigenous spirituality in our communities and what that means for us in our work in universities. The opening section of the presentation will deliver some views on aspects of indigenous spirituality and its place in our lives. The second, and greater, part of the presentation will comprise a workshop in which participants will be asked, in a series of structured exercises, to bring their experience and their ideas into a workshop context. Here, we will tease out the implications of indigenous spirituality for our work with students and our work as spiritual leaders in our university communities. It is envisaged that the stimulus presented in part one of the presentation will be drawn from the Australian indigenous experience, but that the working through of the implications of indigenous spirituality will provide an opportunity for participants to learn from each other’s experience and expertise in other countries with their own indigenous spiritualities.

(This workshop has been developed with valuable input from members of the staff and student body of the Ngarara Willim Centre at RMIT University.)

Fr. Richard Murray, Senior Chaplain, RMIT University, an Anglican priest with experience in education and pastoral work, has spent many years in Education and Ministry, as a teacher, administrator, school chaplain, and now as a University Chaplain. Richard enjoys robust relationships across the faith communities and has strong ties with several interdenominational networks within the Christian community.

Exploring Muslim Chaplaincy in Higher Education in the United Kingdom: who, what and why?

(Paper)

Muslim chaplaincy is a new phenomenon in the United Kingdom (UK), particularly in higher education (HE). More Muslim chaplains are being employed in HE. A report by the Church of England found that chaplaincy is becoming increasingly multi faith (Clines, 2007). Muslim chaplains play an important role in UK HE institutions. They support students and staff in their religious and spiritual journey amongst other roles. However, little is known about why Muslims are in chaplaincy, who these people are and what they do. The purpose of this study is to answer these questions and to identify Muslim chaplaincy practice in HE, while situated in multi faith chaplaincy in a European context. Gilliat-Ray, Ali, and Pattison (2013) study based on 65 interviews on Muslim chaplains in all the public sector institutions in the UK highlighted opportunities and challenges facing Muslim chaplains. This study based on interviews with 34 Muslim chaplains describes Muslim chaplaincy in HE, who Muslim chaplains are, their qualities and attributes. This study is descriptive and is not aimed at making interventions in terms of chaplains’ education or training. The study will benefit the general public, chaplains and scholars in understanding how Muslim chaplains are evolving. Chaplains will become more aware of their role, become more reflective and therefore, think more critically. It will also benefit institutions in how to make better use of chaplains.

Asgar Halim Rajput is the Muslim chaplain in three universities in London, UK: Brunel University, the University of Roehampton and Muslim advisor to Goldsmith’s University. He is also the Muslim chaplain at London Heathrow Airport and has experience in healthcare chaplaincy. He has completed a PhD in Muslim chaplaincy and is a doctoral candidate in the Doctor of Practical Theology.

Finding and creating sacred spaces

(Workshop)

One of the things central to a chaplain’s work on any campus is to create sacred spaces when and where the need arises. These can be physical spaces or just spaces within our hearts and spirit, or the hearts and spirits of those with whom we dialogue and work. No matter the size or shape of your campus and chaplaincy, at some time or another a sacred space will need to be created.

In this workshop, we will explore some of the influences that shape the development and use of sacred spaces, drawing on the experience of work on an Australian campus, and in other places throughout the world. Participants will have opportunities to share some of their experiences in working with sacred spaces, drawing upon their own context and culture, their abilities to create the spaces, and to describe the tools and ideas they use. Together, we will explore how we can be more creative.

This workshop offers a time to stop, reflect and share just what makes a sacred space and to ask the question: “Is it the same every time we need to create one?”

Rev Jay Robinson is a Minister of the Word in the Uniting Church of Australia. She has been the sole campus chaplain at Monash University, Peninsula Campus in Victoria Australia. Jay has a passion for young people, for coffee conversations and recognizing the presence of the sacred in everyday life. Jay’s presence on campus is only half time with the other half of her work based in a local congregation with a particular focus on young people. Jay is also passionate about social media and making the best use of the large number of tools that are available to chaplains today. She is the National President of the TCMA, one of the host Associations for the Global Conference.

Pluralism and Global Citizenship: Peacemaking in Higher Education and the Public Sphere.

(Workshop)

Many institutions of higher education maintain that diversity, including religious diversity, is essential for a student’s education in the twenty-first century. Others are reluctant to address religion in any manner and ignore this identity category when establishing diversity goals. This workshop will consider these issues and address the following questions: What are some ways to move interfaith engagement from an ideal to a pedagogical model? How might religion be seen not as a sectarian issued to be avoided, but rather a civic issue to be engaged? How can positive engagement with religious difference lead to positive growth in the student, build a campus ethos and contribute to building pluralism as a value in the larger culture?

This workshop will explore a tool for developing strategies and measuring the positive engagement religious difference. The presenter is a member of the team that developed the Pluralism and Worldview Engagement Rubric (1) used in many colleges and universities in North America. Participants will explore the development of the rubric and look at its use on several campuses. In addition, they will address the presenter’s research on human flourishing and interfaith engagement and discuss pluralism as a form of peacemaking. Participants will then have the opportunity to consider ways the rubric and human flourishing measurements might be adapted for use in their context.

https://www.ifyc.org/resources/pluralism-and-worldview-engagement-rubric

Ron Robinson is Perkins-Prothro Chaplain and Professor of Religion at Wofford College in South Carolina. He is the Director of Interfaith Programs and was previously a campus minister at Duke University. His recent writing includes contributions to Peacemaking and the Prophetic Voice, released in April, 2016. Robinson earned degrees from Wofford, Duke University, and Southern Methodist University.

Deaf Ministry on Campus: Understanding the Difference Between Communication vs Connection

(Workshop)

Last year a study revealed that globally, there are an estimated 70 million Deaf people, with less than 2 percent who are churched. With increasing technology. Deaf students have more educational opportunities, and many choose to pursue mainstream education. Few college and university campus ministries have sought out ways to connect with Deaf souls on campus, out of fear due to language barriers. For the majority of institutions, this population still remains unreached. In this workshop the presenter will introduce participants to the Deaf community, describe some of the common misunderstandings regarding the Deaf, some common but mismatched approaches to campus ministry and ministry as a whole among the Deaf, and what is working today. The participants will learn the 5 Principles and 5 Practices to Connection and how they extend beyond communication. Participants will leave with confidence and excitement about how they too can be an active part in winning Deaf souls for Christ.

Pauline Rose Moore, MA, is a Veteran Author & Certified John Maxwell Team Coach, Speaker, & Teacher, and 3rd year M.Div Candidate, at the Howard School of Divinity, in Washington, DC, USA, where she is pursuing military chaplaincy. She is a Licensed Professional ASL Interpreter, 11+ years, and has served in Deaf Ministry for 5+ years. Pauline lives in Bowie, MD, USA with her amazing husband & 2 sons.

Islam and the religious 'Other': Towards a more inclusivist view.
(Discussion following on from Keynote address)

(Workshop)

“The lecture (and the workshop) will explore how the Islamic tradition sees the religious ‘Other’ and the variety of voices within it, with a particular emphasis on the inclusivist voices. This inclusivist emphasis within the tradition has been and still is important for facilitating harmonious relations between Muslims and people of other faiths in religiously plural societies.”

Professor Abdullah Saeed is currently the Sultan of Oman Professor of Arab and Islamic Studies and Director of the National Centre of Excellence for Islamic Studies at the University of Melbourne, Australia. He is also a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Humanities. Professor Abdullah Saeed works closely with various national and international organisations and contributes to their projects relating to Islam and Islamic thought. He is currently a member of the UNESCO Commission of Australia of the Department of Foreign Affairs of Australia.

Communicating Religious Pluralism as a Spiritual Value: A Buddhist University’s Experience.

(Paper)

In general, Buddhist traditions view religious pluralism as a spiritual good and multiple religious praxis as a cultural norm. This is due largely to Buddhism’s historical co-existence with multiple Asian (and now western) religions, a flexible metaphysical orientation, and practical focus with clear boundaries. This stance is radically different from the approach of many western traditions to religious multiplicity (which range from exclusive to inclusive to plural) and can often lead to confusion. University of the West, a small, private, non-profit, Buddhist-founded school in Southern California has remained authentic to its Buddhist roots while also actively welcoming and valuing students and staff of all religions and none for twenty-five years. The university has addressed confused parents, skeptical accreditation agents, distrusting peer reviewers, and diverse students who vary from actively averse to indifferent to strongly attached to the university’s Buddhist identity. For these stakeholders, the university has found ways to actively communicate what many western audiences view as a direct paradox, being both truly Buddhist and completely religiously plural. Moreover, the university has articulated an institutional spiritual identity in which being plural is an inseparable part of being Buddhist – it is a core spiritual value of Buddhism as the university understands it. This paper will explore the philosophical foundation of pluralism within Buddhist traditions and Buddhist religious history, its current articulation at University of the West, and some of the ways that westerners can dialogue with Buddhists (and other eastern religions) around alternative approaches to religious pluralism.

Rev. Monica Sanford is an ordained Buddhist Lay Minister and (volunteer) campus chaplain at University of the West, a small, Buddhist-founded institution in southern California. She received her MDiv in Buddhist Chaplaincy in 2013 and is currently a studying for a PhD in Practical Theology (Spiritual Care and Counseling) at Claremont School of Theology. Meanwhile, she also works at University of the West as the Institutional Planning, Effectiveness, and Campus Culture Officer. Rev. Sanford has completed three units of clinical pastoral education (CPE) while serving as campus chaplain and will begin her fourth year and fourth CPE unit in that role in August of 2016.

Sustained Compassion Demands Self-Care: But How Do We Do That?

(Workshop)

Self-care, compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma, burnout – buzzwords all chaplains have heard, but how do we actually deal with them? This workshop will draw on two threads, recent social science research (Kristin Neff, Brené Brown, Daniel Goleman, etc.) and ancient Buddhist teachings (meditation and contemplative training), to present participants with practical ways to exemplify the chaplain’s compassion over the course of a long career. Recent findings in social science have further legitimated traditional contemplative practices that are now being adapted to secular and religiously plural settings through programs such as Compassion Cultivation Training at Stanford University and Cognitively-Based Compassion Training at Emory University (via the Emory-Tibet Partnership). This workshop will present some of the basic principles and practices from these projects as they pertain to the practice of spiritual/pastoral care. Moreover, it will emphasize the necessity of self-care to the practice of authentic compassion not merely as a means to an end, but as an integral aspect of that compassion. Topics covered will include healthy boundaries, dealing with failure (personal and professional), and relating genuinely and non-judgmentally to others. Finally, the workshop itself will provide opportunities to actively practice self-care during the 55 minute session, as well as gain tools and resources to further develop a lifelong compassion-based spiritual care practice.

Students of refugee backgrounds can become participants and contributors in society, or alienated and radicalised. What can we do on campus?

(Workshop)

Students from refugee backgrounds (RB) may have obstacles that your institution’s student support services have not considered. As practitioners of social justice, religious diversity managers, and advocates for students and staff on the margins, chaplains are well positioned to make helpful connections and to identify and bridge gaps.

Chaplains can offer strategic support to RB students, respecting the dignity of each individual and acknowledging that they did not invite the violence that displaced them from the land and culture of their birth.

•             Our academic institutions’ want their retention and success stats to improve.
•             New migrant students want to fulfill their dreams and potential, to succeed and become contributors in their new society.
•             People of peace want to avoid creating disenfranchised young adults who are frustrated alienated, angry and easily radicalised.

RB students are usually not treated as international students, but often do not have all the information and resources to help them transition and succeed on par with domestic students. They may not be transitioning from local secondary school level study or they may have foreign expectations of what university study is.

Jill Shaw has made a study of the strategies and services of NZ’s major universities regarding RB/new migrant students. She will facilitate a roundtable discussion exploring the chaplain’s role. Come and join the conversation.

Jill Shaw: Having lived in North America, Africa and the South Pacific, Jill has a love for cultures, justice and people fulfilling their potential. A chaplain for over 10 years, Jill has attended two previous IACHE Global Conferences, and advocates for women at risk and refugees. Research interests include wisdom literature from diverse cultures, influence, and managing organisational religious diversity. Twitter: @Jill_Shaw

Digging documentary theatre: a mine for dialogue and diversity.

(Workshop)

At the last meeting of IACHE at Yale in 2012, Tom Sherwood presented "Listening to SBNR Voices" – a report of his research with "Spiritual But Not Religious" young adults talking about religion, spirituality, God, god, the environment, society and the world. Since then, Faith and Arts Ottawa, an emergent ministry emphasizing spirituality and the arts, has established a new community of SBNR young adults to workshop his material into original theatre presentations: The god Monologues 2013, godVERBATIM in the 2014 Ottawa Fringe Festival, O god in the 2015 Fringe, and Trans-script, a play about gender identity in 2016.

In this 55-minute workshop, Tom will review the research briefly, outline the process for recruiting and building community, then lead participants in some of the exercises that turn research into script and performance.

Using video and a website, people attending the workshop will be able to see and hear some of the young adults in Ottawa who have been involved. Some of their comments:
                "We brought god out into the popular culture."
                "We created a safe place to be ourselves, create, ask questions,
                                try new things, listening to each other, seeking to understand."
                "People paid for tickets to experience our ideas, to be challenged and entertained."

Links will be provided to resources for people who might want to undertake such a documentary theatre ministry.

Tom Sherwood has attended all five global conferences, beginning with Phoenix Rising in 2000, and presented workshops or papers at each one. Retired from front-line chaplaincy, he continues to teach at Carleton University, Ottawa, and to consult with campus ministries as Director of the Canadian Campus Chaplaincy Centre. A library of his campus ministry resources is available at www.campuschaplaincy.ca

Building a Multifaith Chaplaincy from Scratch

(Paper)

The goal of this paper is to initiate some thinking about the issue of multifaith chaplaincy by grounding discussion in the situation of a typical secular university

In 2013 the Univesity of Tasmania on the Sandy Bay campus designated a significant space in the Tasmanian University Union Building as a Multifaith Chaplaincy Centre. Up to that point the university had used volunteers from the Christian community to serve as chaplains including Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican and Protestant clergymen. At the end of 2012 I applied to be a Representative Buddhist chaplain on campus having had four years of experience in the multifaith chaplaincy centre, Oasis, at Flinders University in South Australia. I am the first non-Christian chaplain to work on any of the four campuses of the University of Tasmania. Certain unresolved challenges have been encountered over the last three and a half years in the articulation, envisioning and realisation of a multifaith chaplaincy.

The approach taken in this paper is to introduce briefly (1) a profile of chaplaincy at the University of Tasmania, a typical secular university; (2) the categories of the Faith Friendly Charter established at Oasis, Flinders University in order to initiate some thinking about what a Multifaith Chaplaincy might mean and look like in a democratic, pluralistic and secular society; and (3) a SWOT analysis of our current situation.

The discussion arising from this paper will be valuable for anyone seeking to develop a vision for a multifaith chaplaincy service.

Thầy Thích Thong Phap: I am a bhikṣu (fully ordained monk) in a Vietnamese zen tradition. My teacher is the most Venerable Thầy Thích Thanh Từ, a Zen master in the Trúc Lâm school. I originate from Port Adelaide in South Australia, I now live in Tasmania. I am the Buddhist representative chaplain at the University of Tasmania, Sandy Bay campus.

JCU Interfaith Project: building relationships between faiths on campus

(Workshop)

James Cook University (JCU) Multifaith Chaplaincy launched an Interfaith Project in 2015. This project aims to further develop the relationships between students of different faith backgrounds that are happening spontaneously around the university. This is a peer based program that fosters interfaith dialogue, education and social interaction on the Townsville campus (Queensland, Australia).

Interfaith refers to the dialogue between individuals of different faiths (Multifaith). The Interfaith Project includes a number of initiatives: (1) meet and greet occasions at the start of each semester; (2) facilitated interfaith dialogue every two weeks throughout the year; (3) fortnightly soccer; (4) diversity events on days of significance; and (5) educational evenings highlighting the importance of spirituality in a busy world.

The Interfaith Project’s Mission Statement is: Let us build unity at James Cook University by working together to establish relationships between people of different faiths through positive action and dialogue.The Interfaith Project activities are aligned with this mission statement and aim to develop the capacity of students to understand their own faith more deeply and develop a greater appreciation of other faiths through respect, acceptance and trust.

This presentation will share the successes and challenges experienced by the project team in establishing and running interfaith projects. It is hoped that by sharing our stories it may be of encouragement to others who are looking to set up similar initiatives and provide support for interfaith programs within University Chaplaincy networks.

Marney Walker is in her fourth year as the Multifaith Chaplain at James Cook University (JCU). She is also a spiritual director at the House of Prayer in Townsville since the year 2000. Since being the Multifaith Chaplain at JCU Marney has initiated an international family group that is run by student volunteers. It provides free English classes, activities for children and builds relationships for families of students who may be isolated within the community. In addition, it was Marney’s vision that established the Interfaith Project and she currently supervises all its activities. Marney has a strong commitment to providing a safe, peaceful and hospitable environment for students across the JCU campuses.

Claire Holland is a lecturer in the Conflict Management and Resolution Program at James Cook University (JCU). She is also an accredited mediator, an accredited conflict coach and works as a private facilitator. She has been involved in designing and facilitating interfaith dialogues on campus as part of the JCU Multifaith Chaplaincy Interfaith Project. She has worked overseas in international development roles and continues to work and research in the field of peace studies and conflict resolution.

First-year students’ conceptions and practices of spirituality: initial findings at a New Zealand university and their implications for the task of chaplaincy.

(Paper)

New Zealand has a distinctive bi-culture tradition based on a historical treaty between the original Māori population and the British crown. Educational institutions such as universities seek to honour, reflect and actively respond to the bicultural nature of Aotearoa New Zealand, including in their approach to the well-being of their student populations. A key concept in the context of well-being is that of Hau Ora, which can be translated as holistic well-being. Hau ora has four distinct yet inter-related dimensions: physical (tinana), mental (hinengaro), social (whanau) and spiritual (wairua). Spirituality in this context is not narrowly prescribed and includes aspects such as meaning-making, life-purpose, and quest. It is related to, but not synonymous with religion. Whereas spirituality is an integrated component of well-being, it is one of the least well studied.

This research project, based on a USA study, was undertaken to assess first-year students’ conceptions and practices of spirituality at a secular New Zealand university with a view to informing support interventions, particularly chaplaincy. This presentation will discuss some initial findings from this project, particularly in the light of the tendency in USA studies to equate ‘religious’ and ‘spiritual’, and within the highly secular/’spiritual but not religious (SBNR)’ context prevalent in New Zealand. Developing implications for the task of chaplaincy will be explored.

Mike Wright has served as a full-time member of the ecumenical chaplaincy team at the University of Otago and Otago Polytechnic in Dunedin, NZ for the past 14 years. Mike has undergraduate degrees in science and theology and a postgraduate diploma in tertiary teaching. He is currently part way through a Doctor of Education programme at Otago exploring first-year students’ understandings and experiences of spirituality.”

Workshops and papers

Workshop and paper presentations