Community Life in the Early Church

Sheldon Orville Juell was born on April 19, 1962, in Assiniboia, Saskatchewan, Canada to Dr. Norman Douglas and Sharon Elaine Juell, the second of three children. He accepted the Lord Jesus Christ at the age of eight at Trossachs Gospel Camp. He was baptized in water at Maranatha Christian Centre in Regina, Saskatchewan in 1977. At the age of 26, he began his missionary journey by joining Youth With A Mission (YWAM) and shortly after was married to Ivone Maria Garcia Abdon Demetrio of Belem, Para, Brazil.

Sheldon began his theological training at Full Gospel Bible Institute in Eston, Saskatchewan where he majored in Pastoral Studies and graduated in April 1993. He then earned a Bachelor in Theology degree at Briercrest Bible College in Caronport, Saskatchewan in May 1994. After taking a year off to minister in Belem, Brazil, he earned a Master of Divinity at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma in May 1998, and then moved to Pasadena, California where he completed the Master of Theology in Intercultural Studies at Fuller Theological Seminary. He is presently pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy in Intercultural Studies also at Fuller Theological Seminary. His future plans involve returning to Brazil to continue planting churches, teaching in Bible Colleges and Seminaries, and training Christian leaders.

Sheldon’s wife, Ivone also majored in Pastoral Studies at Full Gospel Bible Institute and graduated in 1993 and completed her Bachelor of Theology degree at Briercrest Bible College in May 1994. She earned two Master of Arts degrees in the areas of Christian Counseling in May 1997, and Marriage and Family Therapy in May 1998 at Oral Roberts University. She is presently pursuing a Master of Arts in Theology and ultimately a Doctor of Philosophy in Clinical Psychology, specializing in Neuropsychology. Her plans are to return to Brazil and work as a Christian Psychologist.

Their ultimate plans are to start a Christian University in Belem, Brazil where they will seek to supplement the theological and missiological education of its students and other Christian leaders with appropriate psychological, sociological, and educational knowledge in an attempt to help alleviate human suffering and build healthier families, churches, and communities. This training will seek to equip each student with the knowledge and skills to take the gospel into all areas of society.

Sheldon and Ivone are presently members of Angelus Temple in Los Angeles, California. He teaches in the Angelus Institute of Ministry and The King’s College at The Church On The Way in Van Nuys, California. He also teaches online courses for the Full Gospel Bible Institute in Eston, Saskatchewan, Canada.