Conversation Circles
Being Chaplains in a Climate-Changed World
Wednesdays Circle Participants
Daisy Bodman
Daisy is an interfaith hospital chaplain with an M.Div from Starr King School for the Ministry, entering her fourth unit of CPE. In regard to personal faith tradition, she is most rooted in Buddhism, and her spirituality has become increasingly earth-based over the years. She is a current participant in a year-long nature-based mindfulness teacher training program. She enjoys attending relational mindfulness groups and hanging out with trees in her free time.
Emerald Peake
Emerald Peake (they/them)/theirs) was raised by the mudflats of Penobscot Bay and now makes home on the banks of the Schuylkill River. Emerald is a recent MDiv graduate of Union Theological Seminary, where they studied Buddhism and Interreligious Engagement. They draw spiritual nourishment from the Zen and Insight Buddhist traditions, Judaism, and queer and trans liberation movements. They work as a pediatric chaplain and co-tend a very small farm in the city of Philadelphia.
Jeanine Boucher-Colbert
Jeanine Boucher-Colbert (she/her) has been honored to be a Spiritual Director/Companion for the last 10 years. Prior to her work as a spiritual director, Jeanine worked with non-profits such as Catholic Relief Services and Maryknoll Lay Missioners in NE Brazil and with bilingual health promoters in Oregon. Jeanine is a cisgendered, white woman, is happily married, and practices mindful self compassion as a person living with multiple disabilities. She loves being part of a Columbia River cold water swimming group and adores the outdoors of the Pacific Northwest. Jeanine is a mom to two awesome young adults who, along with two learning communities, are helping her in her anti racist journey.
Jim Kimmel
Jim Kimmel, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus of Environmental Geography, Texas State University Chair, School of Wisdom, St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, San Marcos, Texas Chair, Earth Care Team, St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, San Marcos, Texas Peace Corps Volunteer, Kumasi, Ghana
Education
Ph.D., University of Texas-Austin (Geography)
M.Phil., Yale School of the Environment, (Socio-environmental Systems)
M.S., Baylor University (Ecology and Limnology)
B.S., Baylor University (Biology)
Certificate in Ecospirituality, Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley
Certificate in Online Teaching, Texas State University
Certified Interpretive Naturalist, Certified Interpretive Trainer, Certified Interpretive Planner: National National Association for Interpretation
Educational programs
Seeking Wisdom to Build a Better World
Learning from Water
Books
The San Marcos: A River’s Story, Texas A&M University Press
Exploring the Brazos River, Texas A&M University Press
Recent online articles
Facing Wicked Problems with Vision, Faith, and Works Practicing Presence, The Abbey Blog, St. David’s Episcopal Church, Austin, Texas
The Peace Corps 60 Years Later: Were We Missionaries of the Social Gospel? Practicing Presence, The Abbey Blog, St. David’s Episcopal Church, Austin, Texas
Awards
Distinguished Teaching Service Award, National Council for Geographic Education
Dean’s Award for Teaching, Texas State University
Globe Book Award for Public Understanding of Geography, Association of American Geographers
Jesse H, and Mary Gibbs Jones Professor of Southwestern Studies, 2005-08, Center for the Study of the Southwest, Texas State University
Mark Chaffin
Mark is a social-minded hominid, curious about many things and given to wonder, willing to explore the unknown, risk foul weather, and wandering off the path (intentionally and unintentionally).
And he:
- Finds renewal in the presence of trees and water courses
- Is a contemplative with a preference for poets and medieval mystics
- Does eco-spiritual companioning and guiding nature meditation outings
- Believes in and supports Wild Church as preferred ecclesiastical option
- Is a story-catcher for aging adults in an upstate long-term care facility
Located:
- On the ancestral lands of the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohicans for the past 10,000 years
- At the confluence of Hudson-Mohawk rivers/watershed & the foothills of the Renssalaer Plateau
- In residence at the Lansingburgh Historical Society and rooms with Herman Melville
Miscellanea:
- INFP ~ Enneagram 5W4 Social
- Known as “dad” to Aidan and Sadie
- Partner to Anne
- Walks a yellow lab named Clarence who thinks he’s in charge
Nancy Wright
The Rev. Dr. Nancy Wright received a Masters of Divinity degree from Union Theological Seminary, NYC, a Masters Degree in Environmental Conservation Education from New York University, and a Doctorate of Ministry degree in Transformational Leadership, focused on watershed leadership, from Boston University School of Theology. She worked for a total of nine years at two ecumenical agencies with a focus on stewardship of Creation: CODEL (Coordination in Development), which fostered international leadership in sustainable development through 38 Christian organizations, including Lutheran World Relief; and, then, Earth Ministry, in Seattle. The Lutheran congregation she served in Burlington, VT, for sixteen years, created the Congregational Watershed Manual https://vtipl.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/CongregationalWatershedManual-InterreligiousEdition-Jan2019.pdf. Currently she is Pastor for Creation Care at the New England Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and a Certified Forest Therapy guide. She coauthored (with Fr. Donald Kill) Ecological Healing: A Christian Vision (Orbis 1993) and articles on Christianity and Environmental Justice and Eco-Spirituality. She is a Certified Forest Therapy guide.
Paige Foreman
Paige Foreman serves as a Human Resources Specialist with the United States Forest Service, where she is working to introduce chaplaincy services to the wildland firefighting community. She completed a Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) residency at the Portland VA Medical Center, followed by a specialty fellowship in mental health chaplaincy. Ordained as a Cleric Priestess in the Wiccan tradition through the Sacred Well Congregation, Paige also holds a Master of Divinity from Yale Divinity School in affiliation with Berkeley Divinity School. Paige is dedicated to climate justice, community organizing, and fostering interfaith dialogue, bringing a well-rounded perspective to her work. In her free time, she enjoys creative writing, backpacking, and training in martial arts.
Shirsten Lundblad
Shirsten Lundblad, M.Div., is a massage therapist, yoga teacher, and professional musician, who also offers group and individual sessions in sound healing. She has performed in a number of musical groups over the years, including Full Circle Women’s Ensemble, Zemya, Saheli, and Referendum, which she formed in 1998 in response to the referendum vote that took place in Maine, denying equal rights to lesbians and gay men. She continues to perform, teach and record with Inanna, Sisters in Rhythm, a women’s vocal and percussion ensemble, and is a member of Una Voce Chamber Choir. Much of her work in teaching and in music involves fostering healthy community, including her involvement with GERI (Gender Equity and Reconciliation International.) She is a member of First Parish Church in Brunswick, and serves on the church council. She is also a member of Vajra Vidya Portland, a Tibetan Buddhist Meditation Center. Shirsten has traveled in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, South and Central America, and Africa, following her passion for diverse musical and cultural traditions, as well as her interests in InterSpirituality. In 2023, she began studying and practicing with Cynthia Jurs, founder of Gaia Mandala, a global healing community, and author of “Summoned by the Earth, Becoming a Holy Vessel for Healing Our World,”