Parenting seminars at Bethany tell how to build kids’ character


Bethany UMC, Austin, played host to different parenting seminars for Austin Northwest community Sept. 21 and 28.
Parenting was one of the six topics the community said was important during the Northwest Austin Ministry Enrichment Forum in June.
Dan St. Romain, independent education consultant from San Antonio, led the two parenting seminars.
The first seminar was “Accentuate the Positive.” It was intended to give children the assets needed for healthy development.
The second seminar, “Do the Right Thing,” offered advice on how to instill integrity and build character in children.
Eighty people attended both seminars. Ten churches were represented. Five of the families did not have a church home.
Twenty-seven teachers from four different church preschools used the opportunity to earn continuing education credit.
Free childcare was provided to make this seminar available to both parents.
One of Bethany’s adult Sunday school classes had seven volunteers who agreed to work in the nursery to help offset nursery worker expenses and make childcare possible. They cared for 51 children.
The evaluations received from the parenting seminar were all really good. Most of the comments stated that St. Romain was an excellent speaker and enjoyable to listen to. Parents agreed they would like him to return to lead more seminars.
Other churches expressed thankfulness for being able to offer their congregation the opportunity to take part in the Bethany seminar and said they would like to continue to be invited to come to seminars at Bethany.
Because of all the great feedback and need for these seminars, Bethany plans to offer parenting seminars twice a year,
in the fall and spring.