Faith Community Partnership (FCP)
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. 1 in 5 adults experience a mental illness each year. 1 in 6 youth (aged 6 – 17) experience a mental health disorder annually. (NAMI, April 2023)
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.
Hear from a member of the FCP why her congregation decided to join!
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 2025 to May 2026 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. Faith communities can also attend trainings “a la carte” for $35 per training, per person.
How Can I Join FCP or Attend Next Training?
If your faith community has already joined the Partnership and you’re the designated Champion(s), RSVP Here (put link) to let us know you’re coming to the next trainings. Because your faith community is already a partner, the cost is FREE for any and all trainings you will attend.
If you would like to join the Faith Communities Partnership Program, please use the button below to register. The program fee is $75, which includes all the trainings from now until May 2026 for one identified individual (mental health champion) in your the congregation. Additional persons can be added for an additional $50 per champion.
If your faith community has already joined the Partnership but you are not the designated Champion, join as an additional Champion for $50 to attend all or some of the trainings until May 2026.
If you are not interested in joining the FCP Program but would like to attend some of the training seminars, you may do so at $35 per seminar per person. Click below to sign up for “a la carte” trainings.
If you are interested in joining but have cost or other concerns, please reach out to Irma Do.
Upcoming FCP Seminars
January: Understanding and Supporting Grieving Individuals Before and After a Death
Speaker: Elaine Ostrum, Director at Pathways Center for Grief and Loss
Hosted by Church of the Apostles, UCC
February: Youth and Technology
Speaker: Laurel Greer, Program Faciliatator for Compass Mark – Science Based Addiction Prevention
Hosted by Columbia Mental Health Ministry
March: Understanding the Struggle of Addiction for Faith Communities and for Individuals
Speaker: Greg Schmalhofer, Leadership Team of Grace and Hope Faith-Based Recovery Group at Calvary Church and host of The Hope Recovery Podcast
Hosted by Calvary Church
April: Addiction Treatment and Recovery Supports: Navigating Local Resources
Speaker: Eric Kennel, Executive Director of Compass Mark
Hosted by Mary, Mother of the Church
May: What to Expect in an Inpatient Psychiatric Setting
Speaker: Garrett Book, Mdiv, CTP, Patient Experience Coordinator and Advocate for Lancaster Behavioral Health Hospital
We are looking for a Faith Community to host this training.
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.
FCP in the News!
CLICK HERE to view our article in the Merchandiser to learn more about this program!
This program is made possible through a grant from the LCM Legacy Foundation.
Thank you LMC!
