CEF OF OHIO
Our Staff
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Meet The State Director
Melissa and I have a strong history with Child Evangelism Fellowship. Melissa came to know the Lord at age three. She was lead to the Lord through the Wordless Book the biggest evangelistic tool in CEF. I came to know the Lord at age 15 and immediately started volunteering in the summer with CEF’s 5-Day Clubs. Melissa’s father started working with CEF in 2008 and she started right along with him. She has been a teacher in Good News Clubs, an Area Coordinator, and is an Instructor of Teachers Level 1. Before our marriage, I was a 5 Day Club missionary, worked with Ohio state staff, and taught in Good News Clubs. On the 14th of April 2013, we joined our lives and our ministries. I was in the army at the time and was getting out of the service. It is our passion and goal to reach children for Christ, teaching them about Him, and leading them to the Savior.
We decided to join a mission organization with success in reaching children across the globe, with which we were also quite familiar. On January 1st, 2021 I took over the position of State Director where I look to serve CEF and more importantly the Lord.
State Director of Child Evangelism Fellowship of Ohio
Kyle Latchaw
Meet our
Staff Members
Kathy Horner
Child Evangelism Fellowship® Director of Education for Ohio and as an adjunct Leadership Training Instructor for the CEF® Children’s Ministry Institute®.
Kathy graduated from Licensed Practical Nursing School in 1970. She and her husband Mark started in CEF in 1978 by hosting a 5-Day Club®. After sensing the need for reaching the children in their neighborhood they both began to serve in various volunteer positions in CEF. Kathy came on staff as local director of the Greater Akron Chapter of Ohio in 1990 and served 14 years as local director and director of Camp Good News®.
With her husband’s call to serve full time in CEF, they were both able to attend the first summer modules offered by the CEF Children’s Ministry Institute in 1998 and graduated in 2000. She and her husband piloted the very first JYC® clubs in Ohio and attended the JYC Instructor’s Course held in New Mexico in 2002. Kathy went on to receive her certification as an Instructor of Teachers and Leadership Training Instructor to train Instructors for Level 1 and 2, through the CMI.
Some of Kathy’s responsibilities are to coordinate and conduct the Ohio Annual Curriculum Workshop that prepares staff and teachers for the Good News Club Program. She also coordinates and directs Christian Youth in Action® (CYIATM )to prepare teens and adults for the 5-Day Club® Summer outreach. During the year she will plan and conduct various trainings such as Teaching Children Effectively® (TCE) and the IOT, Instructor of Teachers course, and Super Seminar training courses for churches desiring to train their children’s workers.
During her spare time, she enjoys her family and church activities. She and her husband have celebrated 50 years of marriage in 2020 and have four children, a wonderful daughter and son in law and nine beautiful grandchildren.
Hera Shupp
Office Manager for Child Evangelism Fellowship of Ohio
Hera Shupp joined the state office in July 2023, after meeting Melissa Latchaw in the church nursery and hearing of the need for an office manager.
She previously served at Good News Club in Baltimore, Ohio, teaching, helping with games, watching her kids teach Bible Verses, and serving Christ together as a family.
She and her husband have been blessed with 30 years of marriage, 3 wonderful
children who all have beautiful families of their own, and 4 precious grandchildren.