NACC Mission and Role of Local Gatherings

Our 2007-2012 Strategic Plan has as its first goal “to support association members with creative educational, spiritual, and communication opportunities.” Our objective under this goal is to develop, offer, and promote educational opportunities for members.

As a community of professionals of NACC members, we work to bring strength, competencies and standards to pastoral care in a broader context throughout the country. NACC members are also a community of learners —both individually and together — as they engage in professional, personal, spiritual, and theological education. We hope that you, as part of this community of learners, will plan and participate in quality, accessible, educational programs. The NACC staff is committed to facilitate and support the re-emergence of local and regional gatherings, as a means to provide educational programs. In 2008 over 500 members participated in nearly 20 diverse types of local/regional gatherings.

NACC Office Support

The NACC office is prepared to:

1. Convene State Liaison meetings for networking and planning, and disseminate notes of meetings.
2. Convene event planning calls with liaisons and other planning team members.
3. Assist the local planning team in the development of the gathering including: agenda, topics, CE determination, presenters, budget, pricing, announcement, registration form, evaluations, cancellation policies, and CEH Certificates.
4. Manage contacting and contracting with event sites including hotel/retreat center bookings.
5. Promote event through Vision, NACC Now, targeted e-mail blasts, and mailings to those NACC members in areas who do not have e-mail addresses.
6. Receive, process, and provide list of attendees.
7. Handle all financial matters (collecting fees, reimbursing speakers, paying location, food, other bills). Given different report requirements of states and lack of regional NACC bank accounts, this process is the preferred way to handle financial matters for the time being, unless it is being hosted and handled by an organization with its own financial system.

Types of Local Gatherings

Gatherings have been very diverse. Sample gatherings include:

1. A group of local NACC members worked with the NACC office to determine a place, date, and program, and NACC sent out the information (Southern California, Pittsburgh, Florida)
2. A planning team of both NACC state liaisons and other NACC members created a program in coordination with NACC with sponsorship assistance from local Catholic health systems (Northwest gathering)
3. Catholic health system took the lead to prepare a day for their system spiritual care providers and then invited chaplains from throughout the state to join them for the day (the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System, Baton Rouge)
4. A Catholic health system offered to host and sponsor a gathering and NACC worked with local chaplains to determine the date, time, and program (Catholic Health West)
5. The state/regional representatives of the Association of Professional Chaplains (APC) worked with newly appointed NACC state liaisons to plan a joint program (Omaha and Colorado Springs)
6. A planning committee comprised of several NACC members annually prepared a two-day event keeping costs low, format simple, and quality of program high (North Central Prairie group)
7. The local diocesan liaison to chaplains convened spiritual care providers for an annual retreat/renewal (Boston, Long Island/Rockville Centre)
8. A healthcare system worked with NACC to convene chaplains for professional and spiritual renewal (Bon Secours, Ascension)
9. A state chaplain association collaborated with NACC to co-plan their annual gathering (Wisconsin Chaplaincy Association)
10. The NACC State Liaison polled members for how best to organize a state meeting, and worked with NACC staff and retreat center to organize it (Texas)
11. NACC State Liaisons from neighboring states begin planning with NACC staff for a future education day (Atlanta, April 2009)
12. NACC State Liaisons of one state worked together with NACC staff for a Lenten day (Chicago, March 2009)

How do I get started?

Contact your State Liaisons. Check NACC website at www.nacc.org/volunteers/state_reps.asp

Consider diverse ways to help:

1. Join us at an educational event and be an active participant.
2. Contact your State Liaison with your ideas for both topics and speakers.
3. Offer to be part of a local planning team.
4. Help provide local support and organization by offering to host an educational event, including selecting the topic and speaker, developing any prayer experiences, as well as selecting the location and date.
5. Provide on-site assistance, e.g. welcome, food, leading prayer, etc.
6. Perhaps you have a group of people you know who would be interested in working together.
7. Host a dinner or lunch with reflection time — perhaps around Lent or Advent.
8. Host a reading group for “One Book One Association”
9. Bring colleagues to the programs. Health care workers and professionals, diocesan personnel and priests, college and graduate school students in addition to NACC members, can benefit from our educational opportunities. In addition to the main educational experience, they can learn about the role of the chaplain from our membership by sharing that time with us.
10. If your institution or area is holding an event you would like included on our list of education events, please contact schaw@nacc.org. Once we receive a copy of the brochure/program for the event, it can be evaluated for continuing education hours and we will list the event in NACC Now, Vision and on the NACC website.

Information and Application for Continuing Education Hours (CEHs)

(Click to read or right-click and save to download a copy to your computer)

CEH Process (MS Word document)
CEH Application (MS Word document)