Fransen Family Foundation Grant to Connect Prairie View, Clergy
February 13, 2019
Newton, Kan. (February 13, 2019) – Prairie View is the recipient of a $4,000 grant from the Fransen Family Foundation. The funds will be used to expand the chaplaincy program to enhance and strengthen the partnership with the Mennonite Church.
“The vision of Prairie View is to be the intersection between pastors, denominational offices and behavioral health services,” says Eric Schrag, director of advancement at Prairie View. “Amidst the everyday demands on pastors, mental illness among congregations cause clergy to serve as caregivers and witness to family disruptions, loss of employment and physical illness.”
This grant will allow Prairie View’s chaplain and chaplaincy services program additional resources to work more intentionally with local constituent congregations and clergy, providing support, peer relationships and access to services. More importantly, it will allow for the recruitment and training of community clergy to work with our Prairie View patients, especially as those patients return to the community.
Expected outcomes include enhanced relationships, peer connections and support networks, increased opportunities for churches to connect with Prairie View’s spiritual resources and more consistent opportunities to connect patients to congregational support upon their return to communities.
“Relationships are primary in the world of behavioral health and serve as a natural building block for skill development, mentorship and establishment of sustainable resources that ensure the ability of clergy to flourish in their congregational and community roles,” says Schrag. “For many years, Prairie View has related to the faith community by providing educational resources, clinical expertise, and teaching, training and consultation for clergy, lay leaders and congregation members. Since we are the only faith-based behavioral health provider in Kansas, it has been natural for the faith community to turn to us when they experience need or have opportunities for collaborative programming.”
The Fransen Family Foundation was founded in honor and memory of Werner K. Fransen by his family.