Connection & Collaboration
A Multi-Faith and Belief Conference for Higher Education Chaplains
Thursday 3 July 9.30-4pm
Welcome!
This Multi-Faith and Belief Conference for Higher Education Chaplains and Faith Advisors brings together colleagues from diverse faiths and belief systems to engage in meaningful dialogue, learn from each other, and collaborate on strengthening the role of chaplaincy within higher education. Together, we can create a more connected and compassionate environment on our campuses—one that honours the diversity of belief systems and fosters mutual respect, understanding, and collaboration.
Conference Theme: Connection & Collaboration
There have been few opportunities for us to come together as Faith Advisors or Chaplains at Higher Education Institutions. This conference is to foster a time of connection and collaboration as we share our experiences, learn from one another and build stronger communities across difference. This conference invites us to explore how we can support students and staff from all walks of life, foster interfaith collaboration, and respond to the evolving needs of the academic community.
Featuring a keynote address by Rabbi Alex Goldberg (University of Surrey), panel discussions, and interactive workshops, we will focus on practical tools for engaging with multi-faith and belief chaplaincy teams, students and staff, addressing campus challenges, and creating spaces for spiritual and emotional well-being – all while creating stronger networks amongst chaplains and faith-advisors across the country.
Who Should Attend?
This conference is designed for chaplains, faith advisors, pastoral care providers and those involved in providing spiritual care in higher education settings. Whether you are new to chaplaincy or have years of experience, the Connection & Collaboration Conference offers valuable insights and opportunities for growth.
Key Highlights
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Keynote Address: Our keynote speaker is Rabbi Alex Goldberg, Principal Chaplain and Religious Life and Belief Lead at the University of Surrey, who will speak about his experiences as one of the first non-Christian chaplaincy leads as well as the experiences of forming a multi-faith and belief chaplaincy team.
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Interactive Workshops: Hands-on workshops will focus on building effective multi-faith communities, developing conversations across difference, reflective practice and looking at the future of chaplaincy.
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Panel Discussions: A diverse group of chaplains will reflect on lessons learned from the day, including the challenges and opportunities of multi-faith and belief campus environments, and sharing their own experiences of multi-faith and belief initiatives at universities.
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Networking Opportunities: Connect with fellow chaplains and faith advisors from across the country, exchanging ideas and forming partnerships that can enhance your work and your university community.
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Inclusive Environment: This conference celebrates faith diversity and seeks to provide a space for reflection, collaboration, and growth in a multi-belief context.
Cost
The conference fee is £35 per person, which also includes lunch and light refreshments. Payment will be taken upon registration.
We are endeavouring to make the Conference as financially accessible as possible. We have a bursary fund available to cover the cost of the conference fee, with priority going to volunteer chaplains without institutional funding. There are also some funds available to help with travel costs. If you would like to be considered for a bursary, you must apply by 31st May 2025. We will notify applicants of the outcome of their application by email (to the email address from which you applied) by Friday 6th June. You can apply for a bursary via this link (form).
Registration
You can book and pay the conference fee via this link (King's College London estore).
Note:
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If you are applying for a bursary, please wait until after 6 June to complete the booking process.
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In respect to dietary requirements, please note that, as a default, vegetarian or vegan food will be served so you only need to put in dietary requirements that will not be met by vegetarian or vegan options.
Venue & Location
The conference will take place on the Strand Campusof King’s College London, located in Central London. We ask that all attendees register at the reception in the Strand Building. King’s College London, London WC2R 2LS
Accommodation
We cannot guarantee accommodation, but if you wish to inquire about King’s accommodation, more details can be found via this link (King's College London webpage).
Contact information
If you have any questions, please contact:
The Revd Sarah Farrow: sarah.farrow@kcl.ac.uk
Felicity Amberson-Jones: felicity.ambersonjones@kcl.ac.uk
Meet our Planning Group
Hogets Baerndal is the Buddhist Chaplain at King’s College London, and the Mindfulness Chaplain at Imperial College London. She was ordained as a layperson in the Buddhist Rinzai Zen school in Japan in 2010 and became a Zen teacher in 2022 with Zenways. Hogets runs Buddhist sessions and meditations as well as Mindfulness courses, one-to-one mindfulness-based coaching and annually trains new mindfulness meditation teacher/s. Hogetsu was born in Stockholm, has lived in Germany, and moved to the UK in 2008 where she, after decades of regular meditation practice by her own, finally found her Zen teacher in Daizan Skinner, the founder of Zenways. Hogetsu holds a master level degree in arts and industrial design at the Hochschule für bildende Künste, Hamburg.
Ameira Bahadur-Kutkut is the Coordinating Chaplain at Cardiff Metropolitan University, with over 20 years of experience working within Muslim communities and engaging in interfaith work. She is a qualified counsellor, trained Islamic scholar (Aalimah) and holds an MA in 'Islam in Britain'. Ameira is currently pursuing doctoral research on 'Women's Wellbeing in Islamic Ethics'.
James Croft is the University Chaplain and Lead Faith Advisor to the University of Sussex, making him the first Humanist Lead Chaplain at any UK University. Prior to his appointment to Sussex University, James served as the Senior Leader of the Ethical Society of St. Louis, one of the largest Humanist congregations in the world. As clergy for one of the few thriving congregations for people without a traditional faith, James told stories and designed aesthetic experiences to invite people into the work of social change. Before becoming clergy, James was an interdisciplinary researcher with a focus on the philosophy of Human Development and the role of the arts in learning. He completed his Master’s and Doctoral degrees at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and his undergraduate degree at Homerton College, Cambridge. James is a gay rights and Humanist activist. His first speech as an activist, “6.12 seconds,” has been used around the world to train leaders in the art of Public Narrative (the use of personal stories to move people to action). James provides coaching for leaders who wish to communicate more persuasively.
Sarah Farrow is Vice Dean, and Chaplain to the St Thomas' & Waterloo Campuses at King’s College London. Sheis a Lutheran minister, ordained in the Lutheran Church in Great Britain. Sarah trained for Ordained Ministry with the South East Institute for Theological Education and completed her MA in Theology with St Augustine's. She has worked in higher education for over 20 years’ (previously as an academic advisor, administrator and lecturer) and has been active in higher education chaplaincy across the UK since 2017, as a chaplain and a former executive member of the Churches Higher Education Liaison Group (CHELG). She is originally from New York and New Jersey but has lived in London for more than 20 years.
Amandeep Kaur is the Sikh Chaplain at King's College London. Amandeep also works as a counsellor and holistic coach, and volunteers in her local and wider Sikh community. She is passionate about sharing her formal training, personal experience and practical spiritual wisdom to promote holistic wellbeing and mental health and has previously worked with organisation's including Sikh Your Mind, Basics of Sikhi, Khalsa Foundation and Khalsa Aid.
Heather Leppard is the Anglican Chaplain at Oxford Brookes University, where she also teaches Spiritual Care for healthcare students. Her involvement in interfaith work began as a student at the University of Bristol Multifaith Chaplaincy. Since then she has worked for both the Methodist and Anglican churches in communities around the UK, including in Further and Higher Education chaplaincy, and as a chaplain to adults with learning disabilities. Heather is an ordained priest in the Church of England, and her interests include contemplative prayer, gardening, running and socialising with friends.
Dr Sachi Patel is the Multi-Faith Chaplaincy Coordinator at SOAS and Hindu Chaplain at King's College. Sachi has a MPhil in Classical Indian Religion (SOAS) and a PhD in Hindu Theology (University of Oxford), during which he researched the intersection between Politics and Religion in eighteenth-century India. He subsequently produced a book publication for the Routledge Hindu Studies Series, detailing the relations between Jaisingh II and the rise of public theology in the Gaudiya Vaisnava tradition. He was born in London and has previously lived as Hindu monk in the UK and India. He has also served as a Hindu Chaplain at the Olympic games in 2012, the NHS Nightingale Hospitals and other universities.
Carter Weleminsky is the Interfaith Adviser for The University of West London. Carter has worked in a variety of interfaith roles at universities and charities. He has also supported NHS chaplaincy teams and advised on equality and diversity in spiritual care provision. Carter has a PhD in acoustic ecology and Jewish studies, has completed advanced training in Talmud and Halacha, and also holds a PGCert in Chaplaincy. Carter is the first Jewish Lead Chaplain at a London university. His work focuses on making pastoral care services more inclusive and accessible, with a particular passion for supporting minority faith and belief groups who often face barriers to culturally or religiously appropriate support.
And we are assisted and supported by Felicity Amberson-Jones. Felicity is one of the Chaplaincy Assistants at King’s College London where she also studied for a Masters in Mental Health Studies. She is an active member of St John's Waterloo church where she co-leads activities specifically for young adults and focuses on inclusive and affirming church where all are welcome irrespective of gender, sexuality, disability, race, ethnicity and all identities. She is passionate about mental health, particularly providing holistic care and reducing stigma around mental illness.
This conference has been made possible with financial support from:
Council of Lutheran Churches
