Bonnie Bevers Announced as New Youth Delegate Coordinator

We are excited to welcome Bonnie Bevers to our Intergenerational Ministries Team at the Rio Texas Conference Office. Bonnie will be serving as the Youth Delegate Coordinator, where she will lead the conference Youth Ministry Council. Bonnie is looking forward to working with youth and adults across our conference as we seek to strengthen this important ministry across the Rio Texas Conference.

As a person who has worked with teenagers the majority of her adult life and has a passion for youth ministry, Bonnie has a keen grasp on how important it is for the Church to include its younger members in its planning and decision-making. You will hear her say repeatedly that youth are not only the future of the church, they are the church right now, and we must listen to what they have to teach us.

Intergenerational ministries are key to the continuance and growth of the United Methodist Church. We can all learn from one another. This philosophy lies at the heart of Bonnie's ministry.

Bonnie was born and raised in Texas, and in the United Methodist Church. She grew up in North Texas and graduated from Nocona High School in 2000. She attended McMurry University in Abilene, Texas, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. She went on to pursue a double Master of Arts degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice from the University of Texas at Arlington. Bonnie worked for several years in the criminal justice field, with most of her work centering around serving abused and neglected children and teens. She also trained and supervised the police officers serving in the middle and high schools across the state of West Virginia.

After returning to Texas, Bonnie answered her call to ministry. She volunteered in youth ministry programs in multiple states and cities before deciding to work full-time in youth ministry. She has since served as a full-time youth pastor in both Texas and Illinois. She currently resides in Evanston, IL, where she is completing her Master of Divinity degree at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. She will graduate in May of 2022 and return to the Rio Texas Conference, where she has continued to serve as a Trusted con Confianza facilitator and a member and officer of the UM ARMY Board of Directors for the past several years. Bonnie is a Deacon candidate in the Rio Texas Conference and is looking forward to coming home to continue doing the work she loves.

Please join us in welcoming Bonnie to the team! We are excited about Bonnie’s gifts for ministry, as well as her vision for and commitment to working with youth and adults in the Rio Texas Conference. We are looking forward to seeing what God does next through our youth leaders and the Youth Ministry Council.

If you are interested in learning more about the Youth Delegation team and/or youth ministry council please contact Bonnie at ydc@riotexas.org