Multi-faith chaplaincy

"My pronouns are she/her. I am a Black British Female of Jamaican ancestry and the Multi-Faith Chaplaincy coordinator, which is a part-time role and is part of the Wellbeing service.

"I develop people, projects and places. I am an ordained inter-denominational Christian Minister with a strong passion and long history of cultural activism, campaigning for causes of social equality, justice and peace. I have a background in performing arts, theatre production, and cultural engagement and have worked as an actor, touring theatre producer, performance poet and Drama in Education practitioner.

"I am a community cohesion specialist with wide ranging expertise in initiating and delivering participation projects that create community voice for socially deprived, marginalised or disengaged committees and sections of society.

"I have also trained as a healthcare chaplain at Guys and St. Thomas’s Hospital and I have worked in the mental health sector for over 20 years as a Community Chaplain and coordinator for SIMBA (an arts based advocacy group for BAME service users). As a trainer, I developed the training module Understanding Spirituality in Mental Health and Wellbeing for South Lambeth and Maudsley NHS Mental Health Trust.

"My mission is to combine creativity, technology and indigenous holistic practices from all over the world to explore spirituality and wellbeing in the context of a fast changing world. I am excited to explore universal and creative strategies to engage, inspire and enrich the lives of SOAS students and staff.

"I am the founder of a social enterprise, Spirit First Creatives, where I run a number events including monthly gathering called Decorating the Spirit where participants engage in the arts, wellbeing and shared social experiences. Part of this process also includes meditation, keeping a gratitude journal and vision planning for your life.

"I am currently working on my first book of poetry, 'Black Blessed and British', which will be published in the summer of 2020."

Rabbi Gav works with university students around London. He arrived in the capital in 2000 after serving as the Chief Rabbi of Ireland and working as a rabbi in three other Jewish communities.

Born in South Africa, he’s raised five sons and also has three grandchildren.

"My name is Thomas Choi, a visiting Christian Chaplain from the Anglican Church. I am originally from South Korea, and was brought up by Buddhist parents. Although I am now an ordained priest in the Church of England, my Christian journey began in the Pentecostal church then I moved to the Baptist Church before settling into to the Anglican tradition.

"My history provides me with a wide range of experience in many traditions and an ever expanding and deepening understanding on our journey through our spiritual lives. I am a committed Christian but am quite familiar with, not only the Buddhist way of life but Chinese philosophies, especially Taoism. I am also quite interested in integrating Psychology (Carl Jung) and Quantum Physics into the realm of belief and spirituality.

"I am gay and once tried 20 days fasting on a mountain to overcome what was considered a sin in the 1970s and to conform to the then-dominant Christian morality; it did not work. Now I have a wonderful partner with whom I have lived for nearly 25 years. I could offer some insight into the area of finding our true identify and becoming an unique individual.

"I have been practicing various forms of prayers and meditation including Charismatic Christian, Centering prayer, Mindfulness, Transcendental and LAS Meditation to expand our awareness during our human journey through life.

"The spirituality of nature is also important to me, so I greatly enjoy walking and have been trekking to Everest Base Camp and in Patagonia. I am currently preparing for Kilimanjaro."

"I am Amal Douglas, a former City of London accountant and entrepreneur who studied Business Administration at what is now UTECH, in Kingston, Jamaica. I became Muslim in London around 30 years ago and now live in Norwich in the UK, where most people refer to me as Hajj Amal.

"I have written a number of publications that in a way sum up some of my main interests and expertise, including:

• Call of the Twice Removed (2016)
• Seven Secrets of Successful Fundraising (2011)
• Diary of a ‘Son of Africa’ (stage play 2007)
• Zakat - Raising a Fallen Pillar (2001)
• An Interview with Ralston X (1999)

"As well as being an active and senior member of my local Muslim community I was also an active member of the Racial Equality Council and Chairman of a very active and successful Norfolk Black History Month Steering Committee.

"I currently give a lot of business advice and consultancy under the umbrella of Olympic Sprint Business Coaching including a weekly radio slot."

"I have been at SOAS since October 2016. We have a fun and vibrant Catholic community made up of students and staff, with a weekly bible group, monthly mass, a retreat once a year (Walsingham/Isle of Wight.) We also have social and outreach activities. My personal favourites are the Pancake Parties and handing out free hot chocolates with ‘lucky dip’ bible verses in the Student Union.

"I work in collaboration with the SOAS Chaplaincy Team which is under Student Advice and Wellbeing. I assist the SOAS Catholic Society. CathSoc is a warm Community with people from all over the world, organising many of the above activities. (Facebook: SOAS Catholic Society.)

The Diocese of Westminster employ me, and I also work with Newman House Catholic Chaplaincy, a Catholic students’ residency two blocks from SOAS – 111 Gower Street. See the building with the yellow and white flag! Newman House is open to all London students and staff. You do not have to live there, it is well worth a visit in person and online.

"I am English, with a Portuguese ‘twist’. I was born in St George’s Hospital, which back in the day was at Hyde Park Corner, so I breathed my very first breath right in the heart of London. My family is Catholic and I decided to take my faith on a personal level when I was 16 years old. Later, when I was a student at the University of Southampton, I met the Verbum Dei Missionary Family and since then, I journey in life and faith with this community.

"For over 20 years I have worked with young people, mostly in schools and I am an accredited and registered child and adolescent psychotherapist. I speak French, Portuguese and Spanish and have lived in Portugal, France, Belgium, Chile and the United States.

"I am on the International Board of the World Youth Alliance and I love swimming, the open sea and my weekly jive classes (when the lockdown is over!).

"My passion is the human person, that each person becomes integrated and fully who we are designed to be. 'You have made us for yourself O Lord and our heart is restless until it rests in you.' St Augustine.

"Come and say hello or drop me an email, I look forward to meeting you."

"My name is Joseph Shin. I am from South Korea and have been to London for 10 years. I have joined the Chaplaincy team from October 2019. I am a pastor and a counsellor for international students for 10 years.

"I have a passion for teaching the Bible and praying for others. I am also interested in social justice and religious freedom for persecuted Christians and the marginalised particularly in North Korea."

Reverend Gail Thompson is our Disability Chaplain, and a long-time member and ordained Christian minister of the CIC international (churches in communities). She is also a member of the Centre for World Evangelism and ambassadors College in Croydon.

Although now in her sixties, Gail's background includes 20 years as a professional conductor and saxophonist. As well as conducting her own big band, world tours, solo appearances at the Albert Hall, Barbican, and many more prestigious events and appearances, she played the tenor and baritone sax with luminaries such as Art Blakey, Charlie Watts, the Jazz Warriors, founded and established a music school in Brixton called Musicworks for 3000 students, women in music and founded various jazz festivals through her promotion company: all before the age of thirty.

Gail had a promising future in the profession until at the age of 29 she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. However, this did not dampen her ebullient enthusiasm. She started arranging and scoring music for big bands, and writing scores for many television shows.

At the age of 43 she was called into ministry and studied at Ambassadors and Spurgeon's College. There she obtained her ministerial qualifications, Dip Min, Bachelors Hons and Masters degree in theology and fine arts. She is studying for her PhD in 2019.

The call to serve the community has always been reflected in anything she put her hand to. Gail has established Millennium Community Services for that very reason. Having in the past served as a Governor of St Thomas's and Guy's Hospital, Arts Council of Great Britain and various funding bodies, Lambeth and local Borough councils for many years, she is currently an ambassador for World Vision's children charity, while running many community projects in Lambeth sheltered housing schemes, disability day care centres, nursery schools reading programs and much much more.

Gail is truly an effervescent, tireless committed person that is well equipped to deal with the day-to-day running and fundraising of this new community endeavour. Gail has recently launched the Southwyck Hall Skill Centre/Gallery, on the Southwyck Estate, Brixton, featuring many free accredited courses, including Art, Health and Safety, Wellbeing, Social Care, ESOL etc.

I am serving as the Hindu Chaplain at SOAS university. Having completed a masters at Bath University, and an undergraduate degree before that, I can’t get away from the student experience! Before embarking on a career in the city, I resided in India for a year to experience monastic life, where I practiced meditation and became a qualified yoga teacher. 

Looking to further share wisdom from the East, I’ve been conducting interactive workshops and courses since 2015 at a number of universities including LSE, Cambridge, Warwick, Bristol & Imperial. Topics have included overcoming fear, Yoga psychology, and essential teachings of the Bhagavad Gita.  

My aim is to inspire learning, which is beyond a classroom style manner, and make spirituality fun and interesting to understand. I also have a keen interest in world philosophies such as Stoicism and the concept of Asceticism.  

Please feel free to contact me for a catch up, or if there’s any way that I can serve you.