Called By God
woman be added to the staff of the NAD Ministerial Association. Dúane Schoonard was selected to be one of three associate directors of the NAD Ministerial Association.
Dúane has served as pastor of spiritual nurture at the Collegedale SDA Church in Tennessee since August 1998. Previously she pastored in the Florida Conference and served as chaplain at Florida Hospital for seven years. She has a BA in theology from Atlantic Union College and an MA in Mental Health counseling. Pastor Schoonard has a married adult son and daughter.
Pastor Schoonard looks after women ministers with care and creative thought. She has organized two national conferences for them, and just now is arranging for NAD women ministers to meet at the 2005 General Conference.
Sheldon, Jean
Jean Sheldon recalls that as a sophomore at Pacific Union College while in her dormitory room she perceived that God was calling her to be a theologian. She writes,“ I sensed the presence of all three members of the Godhead as they anointed me in a manner similar to the Levitical priests for the task.”
She prepared for her work with a BA in religion, Andrews University, 1982; an MA in Religion( Biblical Studies) at Loma Linda University in 1984; and a PhD in Near Eastern Religions issued jointly by University of California, Berkeley, and the Graduate Theological Union, 2002.
Dr. Sheldon is carrying out her calling in the position of associate professor of religion at Pacific Union College. She enjoys teaching and mentoring students; writing for general and scholarly audiences; speaking for seminars, and sermons; teaching a Sabbath School class week by week; and leading groups through the Bible.
She has been an instructor in religion at Hong Kong Adventist College, 1984-87.
Shell, Penny Through Penny’ s contact with Valerie Phillips, a woman chaplain at Battle Creek Sanitarium, Penny realized that a woman could be a chaplain and that she and Valerie had similar gifts. As Penny cared for her parents, both of whom died of cancer within a year’ s time, she heard God’ s quiet call to her for ministry.
By way of preparation, Penny took an MA in religion and an Ed D in religious education at Andrews University. She became certified as a fellow in the College of Chaplains.
Penny was the first chaplain and the director of pastoral care for Thorek Hospital and Medical Center in Chicago. She moved to chaplaincy of the Shady Grove Adventist Hospital in Maryland, where she became Director of Pastoral Care and had a large department working with her. Penny conducted funerals and weddings in addition to her bedside services. Seeing the results of her ministry allowed her to believe, " Yes, I am a minister."
After 11 years at Shady Grove, In 1999 Penny moved to La Sierra’ s Women’ s Resource Center as assistant director, becoming director in 2002. She also works a few hours a week as pastor of visitation for the La Sierra University Church
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