Staff

Many thanks to our photographer for these amazing staff photos!

I was born and raised in the suburbs of Raleigh, North Carolina. Growing up, I planned on pursuing a multitude of different vocations – everything from playing professional baseball to following in my Dad’s footsteps and becoming an architect. After a single year of college and through the guidance of my parents, I ended up here in Oklahoma City. Within three weeks of arriving here in the city and spending just a few afternoons a week working with Novo Ministries, God made it clear to me that He wanted me to continuing serving within this ministry.

My experience ministering to kids is widely-varied – I’ve worked two different summers at two summer Christian camps and I worked with AWANA programs at my church throughout high school. I enjoy business and have a strong background in business through involvement within my dad’s company and through his influence. I am involved with running much of the administrative side of this ministry, as well as overseeing the finances and graphic design.

I’m excited to be working with my wife and best friend Valerie – I praise God for calling us both to this ministry!

email: jsherrer@novoministries.org

Since I was born and raised in Oklahoma City, this wasn’t the first place that came to my mind when I thought of a “mission field.” However, God often sees things differently than we do! After I graduated from high school, I anticipated obtaining a political science degree and pursuing a career in politics. During the year following graduation, my mother had a baby, was diagnosed with cancer, and I began volunteering within our city’s public schools in a character education program. These events coupled with the direct intervention of God within my life and heart radically changed my plans and the course of my life. God re-focused me, giving me a passion for serving Him and for reaching others, especially children, with the gospel.

During the six years after graduation, I started a personal chef service, running it for 3 years and saving money while working part-time in ministry. I also obtained my Bachelors degree in Business Management and received additional training in ministry from Kids Evangelism Explosions, Evange-Cube, Character First Education, Child Evangelism Fellowship, Children’s Institute International, and other organizations. In 2003, I started the initial work of reaching children through Bible clubs in the Oklahoma City public schools that has now grown into Novo Ministries.

email: vsherrer@novoministries.org

Having grown up in a ministry home, it seemed natural that God would lead me to serve Him in full-time ministry. I grew up in Missouri and Kansas where my family protected me from many of the “bad things” and hardships that so many people experience. Local church, mission work, and youth work was and is very important to our family. God used that to prepare me for the work to which He was calling me.

I received my bachelor’s from a Bible college. My undergraduate work included education courses, curriculum development programming, children’s and women’s ministry and counseling courses, and comprehensive Bible education. Following graduation, I served for four years in an administrative office at my school as a secretary/assistant to the Deans of Men and Women and dorm staff. During that time, I also served as the children’s education ministry superintendent at my local church, where I developed and supervised the Sunday children’s education program. While serving in that role, God exposed me to the reality of suffering families. He allowed me to work in an abuse shelter to counsel and care for abused children on a daily basis and to begin to comprehend family life where ten children are somehow siblings but do not share fathers, homes, or last names. After several years, God led me away from that ministry to an Oklahoma school. The day I arrived following that lead, I was introduced to Novo Ministries. I began volunteering a few weeks later and within a few months, I knew that God was leading me to this ministry. I joined the staff in June 2007 as the Education Director. My goal is to reproduce my passion for God’s truth and for the little ones with whom we work so that others can also see God change lives.

email: tmclain@novoministries.org

I was born and raised in Oklahoma but had plans to live anywhere but in Oklahoma! I graduated from college in December of 2009 and had great plans of traveling overseas to teach English to children in Taiwan. Little did I know that my plans were not God’s plans for me. Once my plans to travel to Taiwan had fallen through twice, I knew that I was not intended to travel in that direction. Through different friendships and acquaintances that I had made in the past several months God brought me to work at Novo Ministries. I had NO idea what I was getting into! I wasn’t prepared for the way that I felt about the kids that I began to teach– I can’t wait to spend time with them! I have been able to build relationships on a weekly basis with children that are starved for something more than just material possessions. They are starved for attention, love, and most of all, the truth of Jesus Christ. I feel honored that I have the privilege to share the truth about Jesus Christ to the children in our inner city.

email: phendrickson@novoministries.org

If you had told me 2004 that I was going to leave the town I was born in and move 2000 miles away to gain a Christian education and work with inner-city kids, I would have told you that God would have to change my heart for any of that to happen. A short time later I moved from Battle Ground, WA to Oklahoma City, graduated from a Christian university in December of 2009 and now find myself working with inner-city kids and teaching them about the Bible and the God I love. God has given me a heart for His people and His creation and a will to fight alongside and for them, pushing back the spiritual darkness in this city and the lives of the people in it. I am humbled daily by the lives of the kids I teach, and humbled to serve a God that has chosen to use me to teach His word to them.

email: pholden@novoministries.org

I have lived in the Oklahoma City area nearly all of my life. The summer I was fourteen I went on a mission trip with my church to Mexico. When I came back I had a strong desire to tell people about God and His plan of salvation. That next year I taught in a Bible Club at Heronville Elementary and was also involved in a character education program at another local elementary school. As I began to see the need these kids had to hear the Gospel, I realized I could be a “missionary” in my own city! Throughout high school I continued to volunteer with these programs. I was an intern for Novo in the winter session of 2007 and joined the Novo staff in August 2007. I am so excited to be part of a ministry that is reaching kids in my own community with the message of Jesus Christ!

email: mconnell@novoministries.org

I grew up in a Christian family in Rochester, New York, where I gave my life to the Lord at a Billy Graham Crusade in junior high. When I was in high school, I participated in short-term missions trips to Guatemala, Taiwan, and Singapore. Shortly after high school, my family moved to Taiwan, where we were involved in full-time ministry for over thirteen years.

While in Taiwan, I was responsible for coordinating a series of children’s Bible camps, through which I met Valerie and later on, my husband Luke Kallberg. In 2008, Luke and I got married and moved to Oklahoma City, where I became better acquainted with Valerie’s work at Novo Ministries. In 2009, she mentioned that they needed help with editing and I mentioned that I had editing experience, so my part-time work with Novo Ministries began. At the end of the year, my responsibilities grew to include serving as an administrative assistant in the Development Department.

Being new to the city, Novo has been a great way for me to get a little more plugged into the community and grow in my awareness of the needs around me.

email: kkallberg@novoministries.org

Growing up in Overland Park, KS, I always loved babies and small children, and I jumped at any chance to babysit or play with kids. During my early to mid-teen years, I worked with younger kids as part of my church’s Sunday school program, while continuing to push offers to babysit for anyone who would allow me. As I grew close to high school graduation, I began taking early childhood education classes at the local community college and later got a job at the on-campus daycare center, all with the intent of going into a teaching or childcare-related field. One summer afternoon brought a phone call from a woman who explained she had gotten my name from friends who had indicated I may be interested in filling in as a girls’ counselor for a camp. A rapid decision followed and a few days later, I found myself in Oklahoma City, prepping for 3 weeks of camp.

I instantly fell in love with the work Novo was doing, and I returned for an internship the following spring. I also returned the next two summers to repeat the camp experience before heading off to Kansas State University to pursue a degree in Dietetics, planning to work in children’s hospitals after graduation. But after only one semester, it became clear to me that God had a plan that differed from mine, and a few days before I was to return to KSU for the spring semester, God once again re-locted me to OKC– this time to join on staff as part of the Education Department. It blows my mind that God is allowing me once again to work with these children, giving me the opportunity to love them and share with them the truth and knowledge of their Creator and the gift He gave of Jesus Christ. I cannot wait to see where and how God will use me during my indefinite stay with Novo!

email: mmakin@novoministries.org

Through my teen and young adult years, I tried to be as involved as possible in my church, doing everything from cleaning bathrooms to leadership roles. As a teen, I actively volunteered in children’s ministry and loved seeing the Lord work in each child’s life. These experiences among others gave me a love for the local church and a desire to see God work through His followers to reach communities and the world for Christ. I wanted to continue a high level of ministry involvement throughout my life but desperately wanted more training, so I interned with Novo Ministries. During that internship, the Lord altered my desire from a floundering uncertainty about where to plug-in into a focused passion to reach children with the Gospel and help them make discerning choices in their lives to serve God. After my internship concluded, I attended a Christian college and served in a local church, volunteering in the youth ministry. The Lord opened up the opportunity for me to work with Novo again in February 2010, and I excitedly joined the team! The best part of working with this ministry is seeing God change the children a little at a time. Hearing what the children have to say about what God is doing in their lives changes me too. I’m anxious to see how God will continue to work in the children in these communities and raise up leaders for Himself.

email: omclain@novoministries.org

Oklahoma City is my hometown. I was born in the heart of Oklahoma City, raised in Midwest City, and went to college in Edmond where I currently reside.

I have always had a passion for the community of people living in this city. When I was a teenager, I went on an inner-city mission trip with my church youth group. This experience opened my eyes to some of the challenges these families faced. I also realized that I didn’t have to go to a foreign country in order to reach the lost or the people who are in need. God has, can, and will continue to use me right where I live.

I work in the area of Administration, and even though this is a “behind the scenes” position, I know God is using it to further His kingdom! I am thankful and excited for this experience, and I am using the passions God has given me to advance His kingdom.

email: cwhitaker@novoministries.org

I have lived most of my life in Guthrie, Oklahoma. When I was 16 years old I began asking God what He wanted me to do with my life. One night as I was praying I felt God tell me that He wanted me to work with children. Immediately, I began volunteering with many different children’s ministries. I have served within the children’s ministry at my church as well as a character education program. I also volunteered for Novo Ministries during this time. I joined the staff team at Novo in the winter of 2009. I love kids, and I can’t imagine my life without them! I am glad that I can fulfill God’s call on my life through my work here.

email: mhuskey@novoministries.org

I was born in Oklahoma City and moved to Bartlesville when I was 11. All my life I’ve loved working with children! I always enjoyed helping my younger brothers and sisters with any projects involving pipe cleaners or big messes. =) In the fall of 2001 God showed me my sin and need for forgiveness, and I accepted Christ as my Savior.

Shortly after being saved I was given the opportunity to teach 5-day Bible Clubs with my church. The children I met and taught that summer gave me a passion to share to gospel with children. Over the next several years, I taught hundreds of children through Bible Clubs with my church, a local character ministry, and Novo Ministries’ Bible Clubs. I came on staff at Novo ministries in the fall of 2008. I am very excited about this fantastic opportunity to serve God in Oklahoma City!

email: khedglen@novoministries.org

When I was a younger, I had dreams of working with children and troubled teens. As I grew older, I realized I could have an influence on those living around me, not just in another country or land. I’m so glad God has allowed me to work at Novo Ministries. I have learned so much about working with inner-city children and have fallen more in love with the Lord and the precious children He has allowed me to teach!

Throughout my life, there have been many opportunities to work with children in a variety of areas. I have assisted a piano teacher for four years, taught piano lessons for a year, and then worked with children as a portrait photographer. My family has also ministered to children through foster care for several years.

I first came to Novo in January 2009 as an intern. I loved the work and mission and joined the staff team in August of 2009. It has been a pleasure to be able to continue working with the boys and girls in Oklahoma City as well as helping with different aspects of administration on the Novo team!

email: kjorg@novoministries.org

I have always had a heart for reaching children and, through a series of events, was introduced to Valerie and Novo Ministries. When I was fifteen years old I came to intern with the ministry for four weeks. The training I received taught me to teach the children in a way they could relate to and understand. For the first time in my life I felt I could take the Bible and share the gospel with someone clearly and confidently. At the end of my internship I earnestly asked God to allow me to come back to work with the ministry and over the past four years have been able to volunteer on four separate occasions as well as four summer camps.

It is truly amazing for me to see how this ministry is reaching boys and girls! I am excited to see what the Lord has in store for me in the days ahead and what involvement I will continue to have within this ministry. It brings me joy to know my life means something, I can make a difference, and that I am serving Christ!

email: jbartlow@novoministries.org