The Minnesota Conference administration is excited to announce that on January 1, 2018, Pastor Shelina Bonjour officially began her new position as the Minnesota Conference Youth Director.
Prior to accepting this position, Shelina spent almost two years as the Associate Pastor for the Andover District, primarily working with the Pathways Adventist Church in Maple Grove, Minn. Under her leadership, the church moved back to a new location within the city limits of Maple Grove, began a consistent youth group which was regularly attended, and maintained a consistent attendance and membership.
Before moving to Minnesota, Shelina spent two years as Youth & Outreach Director at Caldwell Adventist Church in Idaho. Her experience included Adventurers and Pathfinders, working with the youth, and doing outreach activities. Prior to that, Shelina spent several years working in Kettering Ohio, first as the Young Adult Associate Pastor for the Kettering Adventist Church, then as the Assistant Dean and Spiritual Care Director for Kettering College and Kettering Health Network.
Shelina has a love for youth of all ages, and a special place in her heart for summer camp. In her various pastoral roles, Shelina has been involved in Pathfinders, including restarting a club, training youth in evangelism and outreach, running the youth department during camp meeting, directing Vacation Bible School, organizing city-wide outreach events, and much more. Prior to becoming a pastor, Shelina spent multiple summers working in various summer camps, in a variety of roles including worship leader, parent liaison, counselor, communications director, department head, spiritual life director, associate programming director, and camp pastor.
Shelina was commissioned on Sabbath, December 9, 2017 at the Pathways Adventist Church. Her favorite Bible text, Psalm 37:23-24, is meaningful to her because, ““This verse reveals the greatness of my God. The Creator of the Universe is guiding my journey. While He is King, He is also the closest Father, who cares about everything that shapes my life. I find hope here, for though I have the best of intentions, I mess up and fail often, but God’s love remains constant. God never lets go of His children, and that is that grace of Jesus that I want to share with the world.”
Shelina enjoys playing guitar, riding horses and being at the lake. When asked what she’s looking forward to most about this summer at North Star Camp, she said, “I am eager for the activities, programs, and adventures, but I am most excited to watch God touch lives at North Star.” Shelina met her husband, David, while working at camp. Now they support each other in ministry as they serve using each of their own God given gifts. They will celebrate their fifth anniversary this September.
