Report of the
Board of Christian Education
The Board met four times this year to provide input and leadership for the Christian Education ministries of the BFC. It is our privilege to serve as resource people to the Pastors and laypersons of the denomination.
This year has been a time of restructuring and refocusing for the Board of Christian Education.
A Family Ministries Committee is working to develop ministries for families across the BFC. Consideration will be given to ministries that may include marriage enrichment, parenting, home-schooling, and inter-generational educational programs. Mark McCreary is leading in this area.
A CE Training Day is scheduled for October 14, 2006. The Walk Thru the Bible seminar, “Teaching with Style,” will be presented. This practical seminar will prove to be an invaluable asset to all teachers, regardless of the age group with which they minister. Please mark your calendar, watch for details, and promote the conference with your people.
The BFC has an ongoing relationship with Walk Thru the Bible that allows us to offer the Walk Thru the Old and New Testament Seminars at reduced rate to most of the churches in the denomination. Contact Pastor David Schoen for further information and to schedule such an event.
Several of our ministries have reached completion.
• After extensive work on the teaching materials for the Biblical Principles for Living, the entire package is now available on line at www.BFC.org.
• The Audio-visual Library of the BFC was a valuable resource for all of the denomination during the 1980’s and 90’s. Dated materials as well as increased availability of video/DVD programs for local churches at reasonable cost have brought us to the point where we have discontinued the AV Library. The video series were distributed to several BFC churches that requested them. Our thanks to the Emmaus Church for providing oversight of the AV Library for so many years.
• With the discontinuation of Pastor-Elder-Deacon Retreat, the Board recognizes the continued need for leadership development and will address this issue in the years ahead.
A Survey of Christian Education needs and areas of concern will be completed in the Spring of 2006. We believe the input from this survey will provide clear direction for the future ministries of the Board of Christian Education.
Pastor Rick Paashaus completes his term of service at this Annual Conference and has decided not to let his name stand for another term. Pastor David Schoen will chair the Board for the year ahead. Please submit your ideas, concerns, and questions to Pastor Schoen or another of our board members.
Board of Christian Education: Richard T. Paashaus, Chairman; David N. Schoen, Vice-Chairman; Nancy Mertus, Secretary; Beth Wiegand, Treasurer; Judy Althouse, Michael Herb, Carol Gearhart, David Eisenhower, Kevin W. Kirkpatrick, Mark J. McCreary, Michael J. Tannous