The History of ChIME

The Chaplaincy Institute of Maine (ChIME) was founded by Rev. Jacob Watson, D.Min. and incorporated as a non-profit educational organization in 2002. Jacob graduated from Matthew Fox’s University of Creation Spirituality and was ordained by the California-based Chaplaincy Institute (ChI). With the help of a number of colleagues and artists, ChIME developed its two-year Interfaith Ministry curriculum. The first ten ChIME enrollees began their studies in Portland in 2002.

From 2004 to 2011, with the support of Rev. Joel Grossman, ChIME also offered weekly classes in Amesbury, Massachusetts.

In 2013, Founding Abbott Jacob Watson was honored by the Council of Interfaith Communities with a Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to professional interfaith education.

In the fall of 2016, ChIME needed more space to welcome our fifteenth class and left the Center for Grieving Children building in Portland, our home for ten years, to create an office and classroom within the Portland New Church building, 302 Stevens Avenue in Portland.

In 2020, ChIME launched its first “blended” cohort, creating a cohort option that blends weekly online classes with monthly in-person workshops.

In 2022, ChIME brought the Clinical Pastoral Training Center of Southern Maine (CPTCSM) under it’s umbrella. Now known as CPE@ChIME, this clinical pastoral program provides spiritual care providers with opportunities for further developing chaplaincy skills.

In 2023, we partnered with the School of Global Citizenry to offer asynchronous program components that allow us to offer all of the unique, relational, experiential aspects of our Interfaith Ministry program to a wider audience of students.

Today the 2-3 year Interfaith Ministry program educates 25-35 students annually and CPE@ChIME, engages 10-12 trainees over the course of a year.

Guest facilitators include local, regional, and national presenters, including members of ChIME’s founding team. View Faculty.

We remain dedicated to offering quality programming to enhance our students’ and graduates’ spiritual journeys and to deepen their professional lives.  Our alumni stay connected with each other through the ChIME Alumni Association as well as through other regional, national, and international organizations such as Interfaith Ministers of New England (IMNE), World AWAKE, and the Parliament of World Religions.

Learn more about the history and development of Interfaith Seminaries in this 2012 article from the Interfaith Observer.