Children & Youth Ministry Conference 2024

Rev. Dietrich “Deech” Kirk has been in youth ministry for 25+ years. He served as the youth minister of Brentwood United Methodist Church for six years before becoming the Executive Director of CYMT in 2006. He has a Master of Art in Religion from Memphis Theological Seminary. He is the author of “Raising Teens in an Almost Christian World: A Parent’s Guide” and one of the co-authors of “Now What? Next Steps in Your New Life with Christ.”

Rev. Melissa Collier Gepford is the Intergenerational Discipleship Coordinator of the United Methodist Great Plains Conference, in which she helps congregations establish healthy kids and youth ministries. She grew up in East Texas and graduated from Perkins School of Theology. As an ordained deacon, she connects church people to the world. Melissa is a writer, speaker, and the creator of Dandelion Marketplace. She enjoys drinking good coffee, working out, and testing her semi-green thumb. Melissa and her husband Bill enjoy dancing when they can and love playing with their son, Finnegan.

Nick serves as Director of Kid’s Ministry at the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection’s Leawood location. He has written 2 books – “Instant Bible Dramas: Easy Skits for Elementary Kids” and an elementary children’s resource titled “Faithful: Christmas Through the Eyes of Joseph.” Nick loves helping elementary kids grow in their faith. When Nick is not at church, he is hanging out with his cool wife Helen and their 4 kids.

Kat Bair is a consultant, project manager, and coach for Ministry Incubators, a consulting firm focused on helping launch innovation-oriented ministries and non-profits. Before that she spent nearly ten years leading youth ministries in large churches, primarily in Texas. She is passionate about creating resources that encourage and inspire ministry leaders and has contributed to writing projects through the Center for Youth Ministry Training, Ministry Incubators, Ministry Architects, Women in Youth Ministry, and more. She lives in Nashville, Tennessee with her husband and almost 2 year old twins.

Zach has served in youth ministry for over 15 years. He graduated from Princeton Theological Seminary in 2007 and has served as the Pastor of Youth Ministries at Village Presbyterian Church since 2013. Zach enjoys pretty much anything outdoors, reads as much as possible, and is an avid runner. He and his wife, Meredith, have two human sons, Silas and Sawyer, and two furry sons, Bernie and Warren, who keep them plenty busy.

Kris has over 35+ years of experience in youth ministry. Her ministry experience includes serving as the Youth Minister at Collierville UMC in Tennessee. Kris has experience serving in youth ministry at the local, conference, jurisdictional and national level of the United Methodist Church. Kris served as the Director for Young People in Mission for 13 years and served on the ministry team with Breakthru for 26 years. Kris and her husband Bob are originally from Pennsylvania but following three cross country moves they have lived in Collierville, TN for 30 years. Kris and her husband are the parents to three adult children and their spouses and also have three young grandsons. Kris enjoys, reading, traveling, the beach, and time with her family and friends.

Ed Ostlund serves as Associate Pastor at Saint Paul UMC and oversees Campus Ministry at University of Nebraska, Lincoln. He is also the Regional Youth Coordinator for the Northeast region of the Great Plains Conference, which is the eastern half of Nebraska. Ed is on the board of Justice in Action, a local non-profit that addresses problems in Lancaster County with real, actionable solutions. He is married to Kate and has a son named Beau.