Intersect Network - Access Services

Intersect

Faith and Mental Health

Supporting people at the intersection of faith and mental health.”

Primarily in Bucks and
Montgomery Counties

Consultations and trainings
are available for any location

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Coming Together

Intersect supports people at the intersection of faith and mental health through consultation, training, and fostering collaboration between faith communities and human service providers.

Intersect’s team is prepared to train, consult and collaborate with human services providers and members of faith communities, it is our vision that every community we serve will be strengthened through holistic support and cross-sector collaboration.

Why We Exist

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What We Do

Consultation

We provide support and guidance to faith leaders, congregants, and human service providers to equip them to navigate challenging and complex situations.

Training

We equip faith communities and human service providers through a variety of workshops, addressing difficult topics such as Navigating Worldview Diversity,  Spiritual Tools and Resources for Practitioners, and Supporting People With Mental Health Struggles in Your Congregation or Community.

Collaboration

We foster collaboration between faith communities and human service providers through connecting those with mental health struggles to local congregations and connecting faith leaders to resources in their community.

“A lot of faith communities recognize that they have people in their congregation who are living with mental illness but they’re not sure how to help them best. Intersect can serve as a consultant to these communities. Social service agencies often struggle to see people holistically and to include a spiritual component in care, which many people bring as an important part of their lives. Intersect can provide consultation to people in social services to help them be more effective supporters for people from a holistic perspective."
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Jess Fenchel
Senior VP and COO

Our Values

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Rooted in Our Heritage

Access Services was started in 1976 by a group of Christian social workers seeking to fill gaps in support for those with special needs.  As the Christian division of Access Services, intersect lives out the heritage of our founders in three ways. 

First, we seek to serve people in a way that is motivated and shaped by the character, compassion, and self-sacrificial love of Christ. 

Second, we take responsibility for continuing to fill gaps in care for those whom God loves.

Third, we seek to continue being a faithful presence in the social services field rather than either leaving our faith or leaving the field.

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Committed to Collaboration

Intersect is rooted in the Christian tradition while also committed to collaboration for the common good and well-being of our communities. We observe that God has provided strengths to various individuals and societal institutions, and we seek to partner with them to promote human flourishing. As we practice this cross-sector collaboration, we seek to be peacemakers rather than furthering polarization in our community and country.

Collaboration in Action: Montgomery County Multi-Faith Coalition

The coalition cultivates trust and collaboration between people from diverse faith communities and service organizations by acting as a convener to promote dialogue and resource sharing for the common good.

Led by a team of volunteers representing faith communities, human services organizations, and Montgomery County government, it is our goal to strengthen our collective efforts to improve the overall health of our region.

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Responsive to All People

We believe all people are created in God’s image and therefore have inherent value. So, while we may at times hold different views from those we serve, we’re convinced that respect is different than agreement.  We look to show this respect by being responsive to the spiritual, physical, social, and emotional needs of all people. 

One way you can join us in being responsive to people’s needs is by joining our Care Portal. This portal is for individuals and faith communities who are looking to meet local needs in Bucks and Montgomery Counties.

This page posts needs specific to the individuals supported by Access Services and may include needs for time, material resources, and/or monetary donations.

Upcoming Events

Newsletters

Intersect Team

Senior Director of Intersect

Dave Eckert, MDiv, CPRP

Strategy Director

Robert L. Givens III

Intersect Care Portal Coordinator

Juli Apple

Chaplain

Mike Ford

Community Connector

John Buckley

Intersect Trainer

Ty Williams

Intersect Trainer

Mark Boorse

Senior Director of Intersect

Dave Eckert, MDiv, CPRP

Dave Eckert is the Senior Director of Intersect, an initiative within Access Services that supports those at the intersection of faith and mental health through consultation, training and the fostering of collaboration between faith communities and mental health providers.  He has spent over 20 years working for Access Services within various roles including Director of a Mobile Psychiatric Rehabilitation program and agency Chaplain.  In addition, Dave has served as one of the pastors at Grace Community Church in Chalfont, PA for the last 15 years.  Dave holds degrees in Social Work, Biblical Studies and Divinity.  He lives with his wife and three children in Montgomery County, PA.

Strategy Director

Robert L. Givens III

Robert L. Givens III is the Founder and Owner of RG 360 Consulting, a social venture that exists to foster cultures of collaboration in communities throughout the U.S. by providing leadership training and capacity building services to coalitions and participating organizations. In addition to his role as an entrepreneur, Robert is the Strategy Director of Intersect at Access Services. Robert has spent his entire career leading and supporting cross-sector coalitions to address a wide variety of longstanding local, state and national challenges facing vulnerable populations every day. As a result, he has a deep understanding of the social sector’s many strengths and weaknesses. He leverages this expertise on behalf of his clients and his community to cultivate impactful, sustainable partnerships that are committed to doing good together. Robert earned his B.S. in Finance from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Intersect Care Portal Coordinator

Juli Apple

Juli has worked in social work for over 20 years in various roles including the fields of intellectual disabilities and children & youth.  Juli especially enjoyed working with children as well as foster and adoptive families, directly supporting them through casework and training. She has also had the experience of working at a church. The Intersect program allows Juli to draw from both backgrounds to help meet the needs of people in her community.  Juli earned her B.A. in Psychology/Sociology at Hope College in Holland, MI and her MSW at the University of Pennsylvania.

Chaplain

Mike Ford

Mike has been a Christian camp Program Director, church Pastor, and hospital Chaplain over the last 35 years. He has experienced trauma and death in his immediate family and beyond and has great compassion and empathy for those going through trauma and pain due to life’s circumstances. Mike is a widower with four wonderful, young adult children who loves people, music, the outdoors, his family, good chocolate, and conversation over good coffee.

Community Connector

John Buckley

John is the Lead Pastor of Upper Perkiomen Community Church (UPCC) in East Greenville, Pennsylvania. He loves to preach to all ages, but his passion in life is helping people to love God and others through mentoring and discipleship. John is also passionate about helping those who struggle with mental health, as well as those who love and live with those challenged by it. He has a son who has battled it his whole life along with the many folks God has brought along John’s path needing support, resources and direction. He praises God daily for all He has done to see this church impact so many lives.

John has been married for 32 years to his high school sweetheart Sandy and has four children. John was born in California and grew up in the Midwest. He received his bachelor’s degree in Pastoral studies and has had the privilege to serve as a lay pastor in two churches in the Midwest before coming to PA in 1995.

Intersect Trainer

Ty Williams

Tyrone (Ty) Williams serves as the Crisis Community Liaison and Trainer at Access Services. In this role, Ty facilitates Hope 4 Tomorrow assemblies and supports the Mobile Crisis program at community events. Additionally, Ty provides Mental Health and Prevention trainings (Mental Health First Aid, Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST), QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer)) at colleges, high schools and other organizations in Montgomery County, PA. Ty is a member of the Montgomery County Suicide Prevention Task Force.

Intersect Trainer

Mark Boorse

Mark is a husband and father of 2 grown children. Mark is currently the Director of Program Development and has served at Access Services in a variety of programs over the past 35 years. He has walked with people experiencing mental illness in both his family and his congregation. Over the course of 20 years, he has served as both a deacon and an elder at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Harleysville.

Contact Us

If you are interested in learning more or partnering with us, we’d love to hear from you!

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