Mike and Kim have been married for almost 37 years and live in the Lansing area. They are the parents of 10 children, ages 15 to 33, all homeschooled, with 8 graduates and 5 married. They also have the joy of bring grandparents to 16 wonderful grandchildren! They are passionate about casting the vision of home discipleship to families and raising up the next generation of godly leaders. Mike serves as the President of MiCHN, while Kim serves as MiCHN's Director of Operations. As a couple, they serve on the Board of Directors.
Israel and Brook are authors and conference speakers who are passionate about defending the Christian faith and promoting a biblical worldview. They are both homeschool graduates and live in Southwest Michigan where they home educate their 11 amazing children. Aiming for both the heart and the head, their goal is to challenge others to take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ. They firmly believe and teach that God's word applies to all areas of life, including education and home discipleship. Israel serves at the Vice President and primary media contact for MiCHN.
John and Miriam homeschooled their 3 sons for 18 years and during that time INCH was a great encouragement to their family. While their children graduated years ago, they have continued to serve because they believe that homeschooling is the best way for parents to pass on their Christian faith to their children and they believe that MiCHN is a much-needed resource in equipping parents to do so. They are blessed that their children are walking with the Lord! Miriam serves Michigan homeschoolers as the Treasurer for MiCHN.
Rob and Shannon Kemp were married in 1994, and raised four sons, whom they homeschooled through high school. Thinking they were nearing the end of their child rearing and homeschool journey, in 2021 and 2022 the Lord brought two babies into their lives through fostering and adoption. They are now beginning their homeschooling journey all over again. Rob has been a mechanic for 44+ years and a pastor for 20+ years. He currently pastors Warren Missionary Baptist Church in Warren, MI. Shannon runs a homeschool group at the church, as well as being the Connections Director for MICHN where she pursues her passion for helping homeschoolers find connections with others locally, statewide, and nationally, while also striving to guide them to be educated on the laws, how-tos, freedoms, and joys of homeschooling.
James and Susan Hoffert have been married for almost 26 years. Susan has a passion to see others enjoy the precious years while their children are living at home and to take advantage of every opportunity to build into young people. With an eye for all the little details, Susan wants to see MiCHN thrive as it seeks to serve the homeschool community of Michigan. She serves as the event director. Since James has a gift for all things audio/visual and technology related, he helps throughout the year with MiCHN events. After 29 years of working, Susan was overjoyed to head home to invest into the life of their special gift, Bentley. Together, James and Susan share a joy in homeschooling their son. Bentley enjoys all sports and is well known throughout the Lansing homeschool community by children of all ages.
Cameron and Shanté Pickford have been married for almost 17 years. They have 3 sweet daughters, Aláthea (15), Caitrìona (12), and Talìa (10) whom they homeschool together. During the week, Cameron works for the Michigan Senate Republicans as the Senior Media Strategist. In his spare time, he is a lay-elder at their local church. He can oftentimes be found helping out in their homeschool journey as well, painting on canvas, or building models. Shanté spends much of her time caring for their home, educating their daughters, and volunteering with MiCHN as their Communications Director. She enjoys reading, writing, and keeping up with the political arena. Together, Cameron and Shanté are passionate about the calling God has placed on men and women in marriage. They have been pre-marriage mentors for years, and believe God's inerrant word is the resource for everything.
Travis and Ashlie Childress have been married since 2011 and have been passionate advocates for homeschooling since beginning their family in 2012. Together, they carry a deep desire to see families grow strong and walk in the true calling of God—believing that a thriving family begins with a solid, Christ-centered foundation.
Travis is a licensed Christian Marriage & Family Therapist, committed to helping restore what the enemy works so hard to destroy. He often says,“If the devil destroys the marriage, he destroys the family.” When he’s not counseling, Travis is at home helping Ashlie homeschool their five children—Elijah (12), Uriyah (10), Azariah (8), and twin girls Beriyah and Gianna (6).
Ashlie is a full-time stay-at-home mom who joyfully manages their busy household, which also includes two dogs, two cats, and a growing flock of chickens. She has a heart for raising the next generation for Christ through both education and example. When not teaching, Ashlie is often in the kitchen baking something new with one (or all) of the kids by her side. She also serves as the Finance Director for MiCHN, using her skills to manage budgets and steward resources—both for their home and the homeschool community.
As a family, the Childress' love being outdoors, enjoying the beauty of God's creation. Hiking, fishing, canoeing, and camping are some of their favorite ways to connect and create memories. On cool Michigan days, you'll likely find them curled up by the fire, each with a good book in hand.
Together, Travis and Ashlie believe God has called them to walk alongside and encourage families—especially moms and dads—as they pursue God’s purpose for their homes.
