Faith Community Partnership (FCP)
Why are Faith Communities important to Mental Health?
Faith Community Leaders are one of the first people who are contacted when someone is experiencing a mental health crisis.
They are trusted people in their respective faith communities and serve as a source of support, resources, and hope.
What is the Faith Community Partnership (FCP)?
1. Faith communities choose Faith Community Leaders who are willing to be Mental Health Champions to participate in the program.
2. Champions meet monthly from May to November of 2025 to receive:
a) Resources and referrals for addressing mental health needs in their faith communities
b) Trainings to help develop their own mental health ministry
c) Support for existing mental health ministries
d) Fellowship with other faith communities
3. Faith communities subsidize this program by contributing $75 for the 1st Mental Health Champion for their congregation.
Additional Mental Health Champions will be $50.
Did You Know That in Lancaster County…
1. There are 843 Faith Communities (The Assoc. of Religion Data Archives, 2020)
2. 42.7% of the population belongs to a faith community (The Assoc. of Religion Data Archives, 2020)
3. 4.3% of the population have reported having a mental health issue (Lancaster County Community Indicators, 2018-2020)
FCP Seminars
May: Introduction to the Faith Community Partnership
- Who We Are
- Scope of Mental Health Issues
- Resource Sharing
- Referral Review
June: Introduction to Mental Health Ministries (MHM)
Speaker: Donna Nebitinksy, Pastoral Associate at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Mechanicsburg
- Why Start a Mental Health Ministry?
- How to Start a Ministry (Components of a MHM)
- If you already have a ministry, breakout session to discuss what is working and brainstorming ideas to address what isn’t
July: Training – Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) Certification
August: Introduction to Spiritual Support Groups
- Holy Listening (not therapy)
- Power of Prayer
- When Prayer Isn’t Enough – How to Know When to Refer
- Addressing Religious Trauma
September: Training – Mental Health 1st Aid Certificate
October: Training TBD Based on Needs of Champions
Possible options to include:
- Mental Health and Children
- Mental Health and the Elderly
- Mental Health and Teens
- Grief
- Mental Health and Social Media – Electronic Use
- Suicide Prevention
November: Training – Self-Care and Compassion Fatigue
December: Next Steps – The Plans He Has for Us
- Review of program and next steps for 2026!
How to Get Connected?

If you or your faith community is interested in partnering with us, please reach out to our Program Coordinator for this project, Irma Do.
This program is made possible through a grant from the LCM Legacy Foundation.
Thank you LMC!
