Meet the Team
Who are we?
The chaplains are independent, and their time is a gift to the University from their individual faith communities. Chaplains are here to support all students and staff of any faith or none. The faith and denominational labels given are only a guide, feel free to contact any of us!
General enquiries
For general enquiries please contact the Multifaith Coordinator.
Laura Henderson (Multifaith Coordinator)
Pronouns [She/Her]
University Park
laura.henderson@nottingham.ac.uk
+44 (0)115 951 3931
+44 (0)7870 854634
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Laura has worked at the University of Nottingham since August 2016 and has been the Multifaith Coordinator since December 2018. Prior to joining the Chaplaincy and Faith Support team, she worked in student recruitment as a Schools Liaison Officer travelling around the UK to different schools delivering presentations about applying to University.
Laura can help you to book appointments with chaplains and is happy to discuss any faith events or activities you would like the chaplaincy to promote. She is a university member of staff and is part of the Student Welfare Department, which means she can signpost to university welfare services if you have a welfare concern. In addition, Laura is developing a number of interfaith projects and is keen to hear from students and faith groups that are interested in being involved in interfaith events.
Chaplains
Chaplaincy roles - a quick guide
Chaplain
A chaplain is usually, but not always, a cleric (such as a minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam) of a religious tradition. All university chaplains are independent and their time is a gift to the University. Chaplain's availability varies, but most chaplains can offer appointments with minimal or no wait time, and between them, urgent requests will be responded to as a priority.
Assistant Chaplain (Lay Chaplain)
Assistant Chaplains, sometimes also known as Lay Chaplains, are active and regular practising members of their faith community. They will often come under the direct supervision of a university chaplain and part of their role may include supporting the chaplain with their work. Assistant chaplains are able to offer pastoral support but may refer to a chaplain for more complex faith questions.
Faith Advisor
Faith Advisors are active and regular practitising members of their faith community. They are able offer pastoral support but may refer to a chaplain for more complex faith questions. They act as a point of contact for any faith related queries that fall under their faith tradition or specific areas of expertise (such as language or subject area).
Associate Chaplain
Associate Chaplains offer the University a specific activity or service through their faith group (for example
Conversation Cafe). They will run events in partnership with Chaplaincy and Faith Support and function as a chaplain when running activities on campus. They tend to be different to chaplains in that they have a specific remit and won't offer regular chaplaincy hours.
We are always keen to expand our multifaith team and welcome enquiries from anyone interested in offering their time and support. Please see the role descriptions in the above guide and
contact us for further information. Please note, it is a requirement for all of our university chaplains, assistant chaplains, faith advisors and associate chaplains to have an endorsement from a recognised faith group.