Pastor, The Edge & Pathways

Alexander Bolotnikov

Pastor Alexander Bolotnikov is a recent transplant to Minnesota. He is serving at The Edge Christian Worship Center and Pathways Church. He has a passion for digital ministry as well as outreach to the Jewish community. His work includes directing Shalom Ministries, a North American Division initiative focused on reaching the Jewish community.

Speaker/Director, Voice of Prophecy

Shawn Boonstra

Pastor Shawn Boonstra is speaker/director for the Voice of Prophecy ministry. His broadcasts, live seminars, and books have been a source of inspiration around the globe, and over the years, his live events have been presented on every continent except Antarctica. Prior to coming to VOP in 2013, Shawn served as an associate ministerial director at the North American Division, where his role was to inspire, train, and equip pastors and churches for evangelism. Before this assignment, he served for seven years as speaker/director for It Is Written International Television. In his early pastoral career, he served as speaker/director for It Is Written Canada and pastored a number of churches in British Columbia. He currently lives in Loveland, Colorado, and enjoys any activity that gets him out of doors and into the mountains, especially when his wife, Jean, can join him.

Vice President for Finance, Minnesota Conference

Gayln L. Bowers, MBA

Gayln Bowers currently serves as the Vice President for Finance for the Minnesota Conference. His background includes serving as the Executive Director for Cohutta Springs in Georgia Cumberland Conference, as well as serving as the Human Resources Director for Pacific Union College for more than 15 years. He is passionate about treating people as Jesus would treat them, as well as teaching about the finances of the church and how it is the relationship with God that leads a giving heart.

Pastor in Bangor, Maine

Shawn Brace

Shawn Brace pastors in Bangor, Maine, where he lives with his wife, Camille, and their three children, Camden, Acadia, and Winslow (all named after locations in Maine). In 2018, he, along with his members, replanted their church, shifting it from being a traditional, in-ward focused church, to one that was centered on community and incarnating the gospel in everyday life. He details this journey in his podcast, Mission Lab, and in his recent best-selling book The Table I Long For (Signs Publishing).

Volunteer Health Ministries Director, Minnesota Conference

Yvon Fils-Aime, MD, MBA

Yvon Fils-Aime, MD, MBA, is an accomplished Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of CollConnect LLC, a prominent global healthcare consulting company distinguished by its exceptional and dynamic approach. Driven by a steadfast commitment to excellence, CollConnect is unwaveringly devoted to enabling Hospitals, Behavioral Health Centers, and Government Health Agencies to realize transformative results and flourish within a constantly evolving landscape.

Partner with Robins Kaplan LLP

Matthew Frerichs, JD

Matthew Frerichs practices in the Estate and Trust arena, focusing on estate planning, trust and estate administration, guardianship and conservatorship law, and estate and trust litigation. Matt’s technical knowledge and experience in complex planning, combined with his ability to sensitively and conscientiously navigate difficult and often complex family dynamics, gives clients peace of mind that their legacy is secure. Prior to joining Robins Kaplan LLP, Matthew was an associate at a Minnesota law firm practicing in the areas of estate planning, probate, real estate, and business law.

A frequent speaker and writer, Matt has particular experience presenting on risk mitigation in estate planning and on the ethical issues that attorneys face when working with clients with mental illness or diminished capacity.

Matt previously served as a Law Clerk to the Honorable Sean C. Gibbs of the Minnesota District Court. He received a B.A. and an M.S.W. from the University of St. Thomas, and earned his J.D. from the University of St. Thomas School of Law. He continues to support the school’s mission through his participation in the St. Thomas Mentor Program.

Licensed Therapist

Andrew J. Larson, MA, LMFT

Andrew is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who holds an Undergraduate degree in Psychology from Union College in Lincoln, NE and a Masters degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Argosy University in Eagan, MN. He is a Minnesota Board Approved Supervisor for the Board of Marriage and Family Therapy and the Board of Behavioral Health and Therapy.  Andrew is also trained in Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART).

Ministerial Director, Minnesota Conference

Pastor Karen Lewis

Pastor Karen Lewis currently serves as the Ministerial Director for the Minnesota Conference. Her passion in ministry is helping people meet Jesus and discipling them to help others meet Jesus, too. She believes in empowering people to do ministry.

Pastor, Retired

Pastor Ken Mayberry

Pastor Ken Mayberry, retired as of April 30, 2023, spent his ministry serving a variety of churches in Minnesota. He is passionate about sharing the love and grace of Jesus with those around him.

Pastor, Retired

Sherman McCormick

Pastor Sherman McCormick, a retired pastor, has served in a variety of capacities throughout his ministry. This year, at camp meeting, he will be sharing with us about Revelation. There are two great messages in the book of Revelation: one, what we call The Third Angel’s Message and the other, The Laodicean Message.  The first is God’s message which we are to proclaim to the world.  The second is God’s warning message for his end-time people.  The bottom line is that the Laodiceans are deceived in their self-analysis of their spiritual readiness for Christ’s return.  But, Jesus’ last letter of love is filled with the promise of overcoming victory if we will open the door and invite Him to enter our hearts and to change us into his image.

Elder, Park Adventist Church

Daniel McManus

Brother McManus, who is a member of the Park Seventh-day Adventist Church, in Salisbury, Maryland, has conducted prison evangelism seminars and preached in most major cities of the United States and Canada, as well as on several islands of the Caribbean.

He has written numerous articles for several Christian magazines, as well as in 1978 authored the highly acclaimed and widely circulated “Freedom Fighters Manual”, which was his first work on how to be effective and successful in prison evangelism.

Ever since his release from prison in 1972, Elder Daniel McManus has had prison evangelism pumping through his veins. He has over 48 years of experience as a prison ministry leader, prison evangelist, consultant, and trainer. 16 of those years were spent as a volunteer prison chaplain in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Prison System before moving to Richmond, Va. (1994) – where he currently serves as a volunteer chaplain at the Virginia Correctional Center for Women. He also served for 3 years as the North American Division’s Prison Ministry Trainer and Consultant. In 2006, he completed his second “How To” manual on prison evangelism, entitled “Evangelism Behind Bars”.

McManus currently serves as President of the Alliance of Prison Ministry Organizations and Affiliates (APMOA), which is an international self-supporting organization made up of Seventh-day Adventist individuals and organizations involved in Prison Ministry (Evangelism Behind Bars, Reentry, and Ministry to Families).

Associate Pastor, Minnetonka Adventist Church

Ray Valenzuela

Pastor Ray Valenzuela currently serves as the Associate Pastor for Minnetonka Seventh-day Adventist Church. He is passionate about connecting the church to the community, and has successfully done so in a variety of ways, including community closet and school backpack programs.

Incoming President, Minnesota Conference

Jeff Scoggins

Pastor Jeff Scoggins, incoming Conference President, is currently serving as planning director for Global Mission for Global Mission initiatives around the world at the General Conference. Prior to his current assignment, he served as a pastor for twelve years right here in Minnesota. During that time, he earned his M.A. in Pastoral Ministry from Andrews University. He is the author of several books to help ordinary people with their Bible study. Jeff is married to Rebecca (Lane) Scoggins. They have two boys, David (19) and Erik (16).

Pastor, Duluth District

Jude Senatus

Dr. Jude Senatus serves as pastor for a four-church district in Northern Minnesota based in the Duluth area. He is passionate about evangelism and reaching the unreachable. Dr. Jude received a Doctor of Ministry degree from Liberty University and a Master of Divinity degree from Andrews University. He has worked as an evangelist throughout the USA, Canada, Cuba, Honduras, and Haiti. Dr. Jude is the president of Divine Call Ministries, a Non-profit Organization focused on evangelism and education. He recently received a certificate and medal of centenary 1922/2022 from the Inter-American Division of the Seventh-day Adventists for his dedication to the mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ. Pastor, Dr. Jude is a simple servant of God who firmly believes that Jesus saved him to serve. He is married to Gemima Senatus, and they have four children together.

Gift Planning & Trust Services Director, Minnesota Conference

Michael Sims

Pastor Michael Sims currently serves as the Director for Gift Planning & Trust Services. He is passionate about helping people plan think through what being good stewards looks like at all stages of life.

Retired Associate Director of the White Estate

Cindy Tutsch

Dr. Cindy Tutsch most recently served until retirement as an Associate Director of the Ellen G. White Estate at the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists in Silver Spring, MD. Her position included promoting an enthusiasm and understanding for Ellen White cross-generationally. She has been a featured speaker at universities, convocations, Weeks of Prayer, camp meetings, and pastor-teacher training events in 61 countries in all thirteen Divisions of the Seventh-day Adventist church. 

Dr. Tutsch earned the BA in religion from Andrews University, the M.A. in pastoral ministry from Indiana Wesleyan University, and the Doctor of Ministry with an emphasis in leadership from the Andrews University Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary. She has been involved in youth ministry, teaching, and evangelism for 50 years, as a pastor, Bible teacher, lay ministries coordinator, television host, literature-evangelism leader, and conference youth director. She initiated Youth Challenge in North America, an evangelistic outreach that uses teens to teach Bible studies and Revelation Seminars, do service projects for the community, and distribute gospel literature door to door. She is the recipient of several awards for excellence in ministry and teaching and was an honored alumnus of Andrews University.  

She is the author of four books, including Ellen White on Leadership: Guidance for those who influence others, and scores of articles in Adventist publications.  

She and her husband, Ulrich, especially enjoy outdoor recreation with their children and grandchildren.