Episode 16 :: Lauren Van Ham, A Chaplain for a New Century

The movement we at JEM see is toward a greater consciousness about the interconnectedness of all things. More than being a philosophical musing discussed over coffee (or absinthe) in lofty intellectual circles, this realization is dawning on more and more people and becoming evident in social movements, economics, and contrary to what some might believe, in matters of spirituality. A post modern view is emerging of wholeness and interrelationship and is affecting decisions from the household level to the corporate giants. Lauren Van Ham has had a love affair with the natural world and has found renewal from being there. She has worked in nonprofit and for-profit settings, ministry settings, corporate settings, and has found herself instructing WalMart employees and management in what sustainablity means on a personal level. She is the Dean of Chaplaincy at the Chaplaincy Institute in Berkeley where people called to interfaith spiritual leadership can learn how to communicate with and serve people of various religions and none at all. After some eye opening experiences showing her the great need for someone tuned into the needs of the Earth, she decided to recommit herself as an “eco-chaplain,” even re-ritualizing her ordination to solidify her commitment outwardly. Lauren tells us about the varied experiences she’s had and how she’s been sculpted into a spiritual leader who embodies the needs of the new century—able to work meaningfully at the personal and corporate level to help the world on the way to healing. Here is a bonus! We had a video camera trained on the conversation that day. Enjoy a 10:40 version of the interview, or pass it along to your buddies. (Audio file for download is below the movie clip.)