OCHEC Convention

What should home-educated students and their parents expect while navigating the critical transition from high school to university? This session will identify key expectations and essential skills needed for a successful post-secondary education experience. You’ll also be provided with practical steps to help demystify the university admission process, including home-educated success metrics, a survey of typical entrance requirements, and an overview of the application process. You’ll leave with greater confidence in how to transition from home-education to university well.

Meghan Taylor currently serves as the Associate Vice President, Enrolment at Redeemer University. Throughout her career, Meghan has been passionate about university access and providing a positive student experience at Christian universities in North America. Meghan holds an MBA in Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Process Management (Houghton University, 2020) and Leadership Development for Enrolment Professionals certification (NACCAP, 2021).

Dr. Peter Neumann is the Vice President, Academic at Redeemer University. He holds a PhD in theology and has been involved in post-secondary Christian education in both faculty and administrative roles for 25 years. He also served for 11 years on pastoral staffs in Richmond Hill and Markham. He is married to Sharon (32 years!), and has two young adult children, Nathanael and Mikayla, and two mostly well-behaved dogs.

When it comes to tools, don’t you wish you had that one tool that does everything? When it comes to life, there is a multi tool that every man already has… and every man already uses… However, most don’t recognize it or realize its purpose and power in their lives. Join us as we look at a list of Biblical and modern day examples of men who discovered that one thing. From one man to another, I hope you leave this talk encouraged, inspired and equipped to be the man that God desires you to be and challenged to pass this tool onto the next generation. Curious? I guess you’ll just have to come and check it out. You’ll be glad you did.

Mark is a follower of Jesus, a husband to his amazing wife Beth, a father to four children: Reese, Lincoln, Maddox and Finnley and a pastor at Kingsway Church. Mark and Beth were both homeschooled for a portion of their childhood and they have homeschooled their children for the entirety of their education so far. Together, they started a Charlotte Mason based cooperative school at their church a few years ago and love to see children and parents develop a love for learning. In his “spare time”, Mark enjoys life on his little homestead growing fruit and vegetables, keeping bees, tending chickens and raising a fold of Scottish Highland coos.

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 2 we again open Scripture to learn the practice of biblical and role play real-life gospel witness scenarios.

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.

This workshop will equip Christian parents to face the realities of raising children in a hyper-sexualized, digital age. This workshop offers a clear, biblical framework for understanding pornography, how it reaches children today, and why we cannot ignore this issue. We don’t want to stay in fear or rely solely on tech safeguards, but instead learn to cultivate honest conversations, wise boundaries, and formative household rhythms. The goal is to help parents shepherd their children toward sexual integrity, freedom, and joy in Christ—even in a pornographic world. **ADULTS and PARENTS ONLY IN THIS SESSION**

Jacob Valk is the Co-Executive Director and Co-Founder of Into The Light Ministries. He holds an M.Div. from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and is currently pursuing his Ph.D at SBTS. Jacob writes for The Gospel Coalition Canada, Radical, and Christ Over All. He is married to his wife, Katie, and is a member of Immanuel Baptist Church.

Are you running on empty as a homeschool Mom or Dad? Do you feel like you don’t even know who you are anymore and that all your energy goes into others? Have you been told it is selfish to ignore your needs? So many of us feel this way, yet feel guilty if we take care of ourselves. Is there a Biblical way to love ourselves so that we can then take care and love those around us? Paula says there is and that the answer is found in Scripture. In this seminar you will learn what the Bible says about your value, your giftedness, as well as learn ways to love yourself by limiting yourself. As a result, you will understand God’s love for you and how He has created you which allows you to love those around you better.

Paula has been a wife to Gord for 30 years and a mom to 8 children, ages 13-28, with two married and two grandchildren! They live on a farm in Niagara where they run their family business, teaching the endangered craft of stained glass and fused glass all year round. God has used everything from the business to homeschooling to puppies to marriage and kids to continue the work of sanctification, in not just her life, but in her whole family. Her favourite thing is to meet with younger moms and encourage them in their spiritual journey.

Life is good … until its not. Dark clouds come in all shapes and sizes and leave us asking where do we turn? How do we begin our journey towards hope, healing, redemption, rescue, and a restoration to wholeness? Where and when does our journey back to life begin again? As a Follower of the Way (A Christian) What about our faith? How does our faith fit into our healing journey? This talk has no cliches, no Christianese and does not put forward promises of false hope. In The Walking Wounded, Brett begins to address how to walk back towards healing and away from our emotions, feelings and thoughts that are keeping us paralyzed in life.

Brett Ullman travels North America speaking to teens, young adults, leaders, and parents on topics including parenting, mental health, media, marriage, and men. Husband to Dawn, and father of Bennett and Zoe, Brett and his family make their home in Ajax, Ontario. Brett was a teacher with the Toronto District School Board for ten years before moving into speaking full-time back in 2005. Brett has a Master’s degree in Evangelism and Leadership from Wheaton Graduate School in Chicago and is also a graduate of the Arrow Leadership Program. Brett completed his Masters in Counselling Psychology from Yorkville University and currently does counselling part-time as a registered psychotherapist.

Your family has a unique personality – lean into that. Don’t frustrate your kids by forcing them into a mold that doesn’t fit your family’s DNA. Lead the family you actually have, not the one you saw on social media. In this session we will discuss the three aspects of family life: leading, encouraging and defending your family. Leading – teach them the Bible, and a Biblical Worldview, educating yourself and how t0o work with your wife to decide the purpose of your kids’ education. Encouraging – through authenticity over trends and the “Donkey” Rule: Don’t try to impose an unnatural structure just because a “donkey on a podcast” told you it’s the “alpha” way to live. And finally by defending – guard your family against “The Know-it-alls” and the homeschool tropes.

Laurence was born and raised in Northern Alberta. Laurence and Jenn were married in 1999 and moved to the Niagara region in 2005. Laurence came to know the Lord when he was 30, and he and Jenn were baptized together in 2006. Their family includes four children, two of whom are married, two grandchildren and a third on the way. Laurence and Jenn homeschooled their children, 3 of whom have graduated, with their youngest in grade 9. For the last 20 years, Laurence has been a devoted student of Scripture, theology and church history. Laurence is currently completing his 2-year Pastoral Internship at Rosedale Baptist Church.

This youth session is designed to lift students’ eyes beyond the pressures and distractions of the present and help them see their lives in light of God’s purposes for all of life. Vision Casting invites young people to consider who they are in Christ, why God has placed them where they are, and how their gifts, education, and callings can be stewarded for His glory.

Michael has over 20 years of pastoral ministry experience, including international teaching, coaching, and consulting experience. With a heart for training and mentoring young adults and pastors, and advancing both church and cultural renewal, Michael Thiessen serves Liberty Coalition Canada as the Founder and President. He also serves as a Teaching Pastor at Royal Spring Chapel in Georgetown, Kentucky.

“To label or not to label,” that is the question. This debate is the start of many interesting conversations around the dinner table once you realize that your child doesn’t fit within the parameters of “normal.” Some may say, “Why bother testing? Labeling? We don’t want to affect their future.” True, kids can change. A label can lead to teasing or exclusion, or it could be used as a crutch. On the other hand, it can be nice to know what has contributed to your child being “different.” Now it has a name. Sharing from her family’s experience, hear how they found relief in knowing that there was a reason behind their struggles, and how they were able to access government funding, programs, and assistance as a result of a diagnosis. Come hear both sides of the debate and have the opportunity to ask your questions.

Approaching the end of the journey, Sarah cannot believe how quickly it has gone. Over twenty years, there have been too many memories to count as she taught seven children, most of whom have special needs. As an integral part of the local homeschool community, Sarah has had opportunities to speak at conferences in Canada and the USA, and she has been interviewed on the show “Agenda” on TVO. She is well versed in working with child and family services. She brings this diverse background and experience to homeschooling outside the norm, and thriving, not just surviving.

Provincial requirements, record keeping and avoiding legal challenges – the professionals at HSLDA share how you can have peace of mind about your homeschool.

For the past 9 years, Peter Stock has led HSLDA Canada. HSLDA is the national non-profit organization that serves the professional needs of home educating families with services such as insurance, legal defence, exceptional needs consultations, curriculum choices, a digital library, and expert staff who advise on everything from ‘getting started’ to ‘successful post-secondary admissions’. Prior to leading HSLDA, Peter spent more than two decades on Parliament Hill advising MPs and cabinet ministers. Peter and his wife Tarah homeschooled their four children from their earliest years.