Local/Regional Gatherings & Events

Why local/regional gatherings?

NACC members are a community of professionals and learners. As a community of professionals, we strive to provide the highest quality of spiritual and emotional care to those we serve. As a community of learners, we engage in professional, personal, spiritual, and theological education, both individually and together. As NACC members, we are also individuals committed to ongoing spiritual and professional development, preparing and gathering for quality, educational programs. Local and regional events are a wonderful way to doing so.

How can the NACC Office support local/regional event gatherings?

The NACC staff is committed to facilitate and support these local and regional gatherings, as a means to provide educational programs.

The NACC office is prepared to:

1. Convene State Liaison meetings for networking and planning, and to 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 gathering(s), including agenda, topics, CEH determination, presenters, budget, pricing, announcements, registrations, evaluations, cancellation policies, and CEH Certificates.
4. Work with event sites including hotel/retreat center bookings.
5. Promote events through social media, our NACC Now e-newsletter, and targeted email blasts.
6. Receive, process, and provide list of attendees.
7. Handle all financial matters (collecting fees, reimbursing speakers, paying venues, food, and other expenses), unless the event is being hosted and handled by an organization with its own financial system.

What are types of Local Gatherings?

Gatherings have been very diverse. Sample gatherings have included:

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.
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.
3. A 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.
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.
5. The state/regional representatives of the Association of Professional Chaplains worked with NACC state liaisons to plan a joint program.
6. A planning committee comprised of several NACC members annually prepares a two-day event, keeping costs low, format simple, and program quality high.
7. The local diocesan liaison to chaplains convened spiritual care providers for an annual retreat/renewal and invited all NACC members to attend.
8. A state chaplain association collaborated with NACC to co-plan their annual gathering.
9. 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.
10. The NACC State Liaison organized a “Regional Read” where participants were asked to read a book in advance of a gathering to discuss the book.
11. NACC State Liaisons from neighboring states began planning with NACC staff for a future education day.
12. NACC State Liaisons of one state worked together with NACC staff for a Lenten day.
13. The NACC State Liaison worked with a local organization or institute to piggy-back an NACC component to an event being planned by the organization/institute.

How can I, an NACC member, help with local events?

Contact your State Liaisons. Check the NACC website at https://www.nacc.org/membership/state-liaisons/

Consider diverse ways to help:

1. Join in 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, and selecting the location and date.
5. Provide on-site assistance, e.g. welcome, food, leading prayer, etc.
6. Suggest a group of people you know who would be interested in working together.
7. Bring colleagues to the programs. Health care workers and professionals, diocesan personnel and priests, college and graduate school students, and 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.
8. If your institution or area is holding an event you would like included on our list of education events, please contact the NACC at info@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 and on the NACC website.

To stay up to date on local events, and other NACC News, be sure to read our biweekly newsletter, NACC Now. All NACC members receive this newsletter. Nonmembers can subscribe using this signup form.

You can also keep up to date by checking our Calendar of events.