Meet Your Cohort Leaders
Dale Ruttan - Sarnia/Windsor Cohort
For 32+ years, Dale has passionately served children in several Western Ontario District churches and also served as a Children's Pastor in Honduras, as a PAOC Global Worker. He desires to train, equip, and empower the next generation to be a lifelong followers of Jesus! He is married to Carolyn have three adult children, one grandchild, and Dale is obsessed with peanut butter with chocolate!
Kathy Mead - Cambridge Cohort
Kathy Mead is ordained with the PAOC and has served as the Kids Pastor at Waterloo Pentecostal Assembly for 13 years. As a Kids Ministry veteran, she has served in Edmonton, Sault Ste. Marie, and Guelph, before landing in Waterloo, Ontario with her husband Glen. Kathy believes that kids are called to be a part of the Mission of God, and is passionate about children finding and experiencing Jesus. Kathy is currently enrolled in the Masters of Theology program at Tyndale University in Toronto, loves to travel, loves Starbucks, and loves to get to know people over coffee.
Laura Gerard - Hamilton Cohort
Laura is the Kids & Outreach Pastor at New Life Church in Brantford, ON. Originally from Northern Ontario, Laura's passion for working with children and families grew during her time as a Child & Youth Worker. Her experience supporting families with unique needs has equipped her to develop inclusive programs that make every child and family feel like they truly belong in the church community. Outside of ministry, Laura enjoys creating, sipping coffee, playing board games, and cherishing time with her husband, Trevor, and their three energetic boys.
Natalie Dickert - London Cohort
Natalie Dickert has been the Children’s Pastor at Movement Church in Woodstock, ON since 2013 and has also ministered in Cambridge, Barrie and London. She has a contagious passion to teach kids about Jesus using fun stories, puppets, creative skits and crafts. Natalie loves to partner with parents to help raise up a new generation of Jesus followers and future church leaders.
Cheryl Ritskes - Toronto North Cohort
Pastor Cheryl has a passion to see people experience God for themselves and grow in their relationship with Him, as well as uphold biblical truth. She is ordained with the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada and ministers as the children’s pastor at Living Word Assembly of God Church, a predominantly and historically Ghanaian congregation in Toronto. Previously, she served as the Associate Pastor at Chauvin Gospel Centre in rural Alberta.
Pastor Cheryl holds a Master of Theological Studies in Pentecostal Studies from Tyndale University. As well as being an adjunct faculty member at Master’s College, she is a Global Volunteer with GlobalEd in the PAOC, teaching theology in the region of Africa and the Middle East. For her, Hamilton, Ontario is home.
Kimberley Oldford - Halton/Peel Cohort
Kimberley Oldford has been serving in Children's Ministry for 25 years. She is ordained with the PAOC, a graduate of Eastern Pentecostal Bible College (BTh/Yth). For seven years she served in Newfoundland as the Children and Outreach Pastor. Kimberley, Scott (her husband) and Kallista (daughter) live in Ontario, where she has been ministering as the Children and Family Ministry Pastor for the last 18 years. She works closely with families and their children, equipping them to live out their Deuteronomy 6 parental privilege. She is passionate about kids discovering God in a deeper way. She is dedicated to mentoring others to become leaders and use their unique gifts to serve.