Attendees: Stacey Fannon, Janet Hofmeister, Doug Jehl, Bob Maddox, Jessica Petersen, Rick Alfonso, Sharon Light, Elizabeth Benton, Jane Stromseth, Brad Case, Ann Tyson

Old Business:

■Confirmation was very nice.  Eleven joined; four did not join but became friends of the church

■Graduating Senior Day was a nice celebration.

■Sunday School interviews

Music—We discussed the varied age groups and abilities.  We suggest that the music be (appropriately) challenging, but taught in a way that is “kid friendly.” 

Godly Play: Generally, the six children interviewed were “very enthusiastic.”  A few negative comments included childrens’ church and sitting in big church “with nothing to do”

First and Second Grade: The children in this class were enthusiastic, but not as much as the Godly Play class. They liked crafts like making kazoos and sunflowers.  The Bible lessons were getting repetitive, according to the children, with comments like, “Why do we have to keep reviewing Moses?”  This age group had mixed feelings about music time/children’s choir.  And, they too were “bored” in big church.

Third and Fourth Graders: These children enjoy hands-on activities, such as planting trees and “rolling up the rug” game.  Some (one or two) don’t seem as keen on children’s time; rather, they enjoy sitting in the pews and then leaving for church school.  A few of these children complained about the music for children.  Some liked it better when singing was held after coffee hour.  Some seemed to think that the songs are geared for little kids. 

Fifth and Sixth Graders: none present.

Seventh and Eighth Graders: There are only 4 children/youth in the class.  They like being in their “own” room (and having their own space).  They are happy to have more general discussions now in middle schools (vs. Bible stories).  They like field trips, service projects, and game day.  They also enjoy watching movies and discussing them. They do not like Children’s church. They love youth night on Fridays commenting that “those nights are great and fun!” They like their teachers John Hatch and Leslie Weber.

New Business:

BCE curriculum overview: Bob Maddox joined us to propose some changes to the Christian education at Westmoreland.  Bob suggests that we take a Saturday or some other extended session to bring into focus the needs of our church members (and community) and possible curriculum modifications that might bolster our efforts in “discipleship”.  Bob explained, “I hope that BCE will undertake a serious reevaluation of our approaches to [specifically] adult discipleship training.”  With the invitation of Diana Butler Bass to speak at our church (for a conference of sorts),…”it seems to me now is also the time for BCE to engage in a similar reevaluation.” 

In addition to adult education initiatives, we discussed ways to keep children and youth involved/engaged in the Westmoreland community and in a journey of their own faith.  We determined to set aside some time at our next meeting to discuss the possibility of creating teams within the committee to address children, youth and adult education needs.

 Bike to Church—June 1

 Youth Sunday—We determined tasks for everyone

Teacher appreciation—We need to get feedback from teachers about their experiences this year.

Summer Church School: Rainforest Adventure led by Jane Hofmeister, Stacey Fannon, Elizabeth Benton, and Jessica Petersen