OCHEC Convention

Most of us probably obey most of the 10 Commandments. But what about resting on the Sabbath? What about screens and phones and technology? We’ll look at a few practical ways to rest on the Sabbath and how we can make the most of this time together as a family.

Jason and Alli have been married for 21 years and are blessed with 10 children. He speaks to parents, encouraging them to be intentional in their most important organization – their family! He is the author of two books: a fiction adventure book for kids, Danger in the Jungle; and a “hilarious” (so they say!) book about life with 10 kids: Yes, Dear…I’m Watching Them: Stories of Injury & Adventure from the Frontlines of Dadhood. He co-hosts the Helping Men Thrive podcast and supervises the care of hens, ducks, cows and vegetables on their small hobby farm in southern Saskatchewan. Find him at HEYDADS.ca

“How can I homeschool my kids when they don’t even listen to me?” This is a question I sometimes get from young moms thinking about homeschooling. The answer to that question is, “Not very well.” Parenting is a key foundation that needs to be laid in order for children to successfully learn in homeschooling. It’s not easy, but it is necessary and with God’s help, it’s possible. Come, be encouraged with practical ways to lay a solid foundation for child training!

Monica was saved by grace and has been a follower of Christ since early childhood. She married her wonderful husband Ron 27 years ago. They have homeschooled their six children right from day one. On occasion they have inquired if there is such a thing as a money-back guarantee on children, but overall, it has been an amazing parenting journey. They have been blessed to educate their children and also see them come to faith by God’s grace. Monica loves crafting perfect lattes, but her real passion is sharing and praying with young moms to encourage them and help them navigate parenting and homeschooling challenges.

Marriage is a lifelong journey worth strengthening at every stage. Whether you’ve been married for months or decades, this session offers encouragement and practical challenges to help you build a mightier marriage. Come ready to be inspired, refreshed, and equipped with timeless truths and practical ideas that will bless your relationship and enrich your family life.

Lucas Spicer, a Christ-follower since childhood, has been married to the love of his life, Viviana, for nearly 14 years. He is currently a daddy to six children, but thanks to the beautiful and bittersweet ministry of foster care, he has parented more than 20 kids (birth through teens) over the last ten years. He enjoys playing an active role in supporting home education in their family and thanks to his flexible job as an ER physician, he frequently enjoys many daytime hours with his kiddos. He enjoys sports, board games, a good cup of coffee, and his love language is making people laugh.

Science is the study of God’s creation. It should not be purely textbook and lab room based because there is so much to be explored, enjoyed, and marvelled at around your house. In this presentation, we will focus on abiotic science in aspects like sun and moon, air temperature and humidity, shape and function, and perhaps construction and design or motion mechanics. Science should encourage young pilgrims to truly appreciate and enjoy God’s good creation and to study it for His glory and their own edification.

Aize Smit is a semi-retired teacher and preacher, he has been married for 45 years to Marioka, and God blessed them with 5 children and 14 grandchildren. They migrated from The Netherlands to Ontario, Canada in 1991, and they started homeschooling their children. Aize has been a teacher in Christian, Public, Private, and Federal schools. He has a B.Ed. equivalent and Master’s degrees in Physical Geography and Pastoral Ministry. The Smits spent 11 years abroad, teaching and church planting in southern China. Aize is coordinator and teacher in several ministries and publishes regular podcasts on ‘The Word and the World’ in 3 languages.

Everyone in this world is forced to play the money game. Many Christians are losing the game even though God designed us to win. Hear stories of financial miracles while we go beyond the basics to learn what the money game is, where you are on the board and how you can partner with God so your family can win. By following God’s direction, we don’t just survive the money game, we can truly prosper. Perfect for anyone wanting to increase their financial literacy. Great for teens!

Andy Luchies, father of 8 (so far), is an ex-military infantry veteran who fought in the Iraqi war in 2003. After marrying the small-town girl he met in 4th grade, he picked up a theology degree at Redeemer University before dropping out of seminary because “God told me to.” He was a pastor, elder, and men’s group leader before stepping back from paid ministry in 2019. He’s been a small business entrepreneur for 17 years who loves to share how he lost a PILE of money in many ways, but remains blessed by God.

So you want to disciple your kids? At least at your best moments. If keeping them alive and provided for is the bare minimum and helping them grow into fruitful followers of Christ is the ideal- what can you, as Dad, do? How can you as a father take one more step in the direction God has called you? And Friend, if you have a wife and children, he has given you this calling: Dadship, Fathership. This calling has come from the Lord to whom we owe accountability. Let’s explore how scripture applies to our lives and calling as Dads. And let’s commit to growing in that calling.

Richard serves as a Pastor at Stone Ridge Bible Chapel in Hamilton, Ontario and balances this role with a position at Karis Disability Services. He’s got 5 wonderful kids with his too-good-to-be-true wife, Shelley. He holds two seminary graduate degrees specializing in Biblical Greek and Hebrew. When he’s not at work or home, you can find him doing something athletic: swimming, biking, or cutting down trees. His life and work are centred around his Saviour Jesus Christ.

Join David Redekop and explore AI’s transformative role in Christian homeschooling. Discover advantages like personalized lesson plans, instant feedback, and customized curricula that adapt to your child’s pace—freeing you for deeper discipleship. Uncover risks: data privacy breaches, over-reliance eroding critical thinking, screen addiction, and biased content clashing with biblical values. Gain practical strategies to harness AI ethically, safeguarding your children’s hearts and minds for God’s glory.

David Redekop is the founder and CEO of ADAMnetworks. He is one of OCHEC’s most requested return speakers. Early in his career, he collaborated closely with the chief actuary of a major international life insurance company, developing early AI-driven systems for the finance and insurance sectors. David feels strongly about the need to stay ahead of the curve so technology can serve people and not the other way around. Based in London, Ontario, David is driven by a deep commitment to protect people and organizations in an increasingly connected world. David and his wife Gredel are blessed to have 5 sons, the youngest of which is still in homeschool, now in Grade 7.

Come and watch, play, doodle, and discover the amazing reasons why your family needs more arts and creativity in your home education. Adelle will bring energy and fun while sharing her passion for teaching art. No art curriculum necessary. Impressive results and easy ways to improve test scores just by adding creativity to your lessons. Fun, easy ways to work with the most resistant writers. Hear some stories of how art helps kids process emotions and cope with struggles. In this workshop you’ll have fun and walk away with a list of new ideas to teach creatively, improve learning, and make memories with your children.

Adelle is a mom to 12 kids, has 5 grand kids and has been homeschooling off and on for 25 years. She teaches art classes and hosts a weekly art club for homeschooled teen girls. She believes that God created us in His image and He is the ultimate artist therefore, we all must be pretty spectacular artists as well. Adelle’s art gallery can be found on her instagram page @AdelleNorg.

Now more than ever, our lost loved ones need the Lord! In this interactive 2-part seminar, we will get equipped with the basic teaching and tools to conversationally share Christ with the goal of inviting just one non-Christian to church. In part 1 we open Scripture to learn the doctrine of biblical evangelism and get our theological questions answered.

Cory McKenna (aka “The Equipping Evangelist”) is Founding President of The Cross Current. Having served as a pastor since 2002 and an equipping evangelist since 2007, the Lord has graciously grown in Cory a love for His people and the gifting necessary to equip them for evangelism and the work of gospel outreach together. For many years, Cory has also spoken across Canada on Christian education and homeschooling, encouraging and equipping families to disciple their children biblically. Cory and his wife, Dawn, live in London, Ontario, and are grateful parents of two homeschool graduates, Joshua and Caleb.

In this session, we will be discussing how to start a sports program for your home school community, sample guidelines, statements of purpose, goals, pitfalls and successes.

Jenn’s life was transformed in her early 30s when she came to Christ. Once vowing to “never homeschool,” she has now dedicated 17 years to home education. Blending her Recreation degree with a passion for sport, Jenn founded the ENRCH sports program. Married to Laurence for 26 years with four children and two grandkids (one more on the way), Jenn’s career now centers on faith and athletics. In 2024, she began work with CCEM, championing Christ-centered education in Canada. Jenn also serves as Assistant Coach for the Redeemer University women’s basketball team, bridging her love for Christ and for sport.