It’s really a small world, and we’re all connected in some way! By interviewing Bro. Shaun Selman, I discovered that his wife, Lynn’s mother, Charlotte McShea, had gone to school with my husband, Royce Gale Russell, at Pearl River Community College, a “few” years ago. It was nice to hear that Mrs. McShea has some pictures she will share with us. It was also neat to hear that Shaun and Lynn had met at William Carey University, just as Royce and I had.
Michael Shaun Selman was born Jan. 12, 1975, to Wayne and Kay Selman, from Crystal Springs. The entire family is from there as his grandparents and great-grandparents were all farmers from that area. His mother hails from Dentville, which is close to Crystal Springs.
Shaun played baseball from “little bitty” through high school, and was a Star Student. In 1993, he graduated third in his class, then went on to Copiah-Lincoln Community College in Wesson, planning to become a pharmacist. But God had other plans.
“My family basically got involved in church when I was about five years old.”
As so many young people do, he walked the aisle at New Zion Baptist Church to become a Christian at the age of 12 because his buddies were doing it. However, at the age of 17, he had a youth minister, John Freels, who really spent time teaching the gospel to the youth of the church.
About that time, he went to a Dawson McAlister retreat at First Baptist Church in Jackson.
“The conference was strictly about what Jesus had done on the cross and having us understand what that meant for us. He had died on the cross and had risen again so He could have a relationship with us. On the second day of the retreat, I gave my life to Christ and started my walk with Him. My youth minister really spent some intentional time with me, discipling me and giving me opportunities to serve.”
During his first year at Copiah-Lincoln, Bro. Selman says, “I really began to struggle with what God wanted with my life.” In the summer of 1994, he attended Live It Up Camp as a youth chaperone. With Jeremiah 29:11 being emphasized, he said, “I thought about my call. I couldn’t help but notice how many lost and hurting youth were out in front of me!”
After talks with his pastor and youth minister, he transferred to William Carey University his second year. This would be a momentous decision for him in several ways.
The very first day on campus, when he and his father took a campus tour, Shaun encountered Lynn Selman. He said, “My dad kept elbowing me and said, ‘I think this girl likes you.’”
As so often happens, Dad was right. They had their first date in October 1994 and dated throughout the rest of their time in college, finally marrying at Bunker Hill Baptist Church, Columbia, on June 20, 1998, after his graduation in 1998, with a B.S. in Mathematics and a minor in History. He planned to minister and teach school, if necessary.
Other relationships that had their beginning at William Carey were friendships with young Christian men who were instrumental in helping Shaun get started in his ministry. When they married, Lynn was teaching math at Petal High School, so they settled in Hattiesburg, attended Calvary Baptist Church, and helped with the youth where his good friend and college roommate Neil Marsh was Youth Minister. Prior to this, Shaun had been involved with ministry opportunities at William Carey, as well as serving his own home church for about a year and a half.
In Hattiesburg, Shaun worked at a Christian book store in the mall. He was recommended for the position of interim youth minister at Petal First Baptist Church by Kevin Cooper, Youth Minister at Petal-Harvey Baptist Church, whom he had met through Neil Marsh while at Carey.
The interim position turned into a part-time position, then he became full-time youth minister. While there, he quit the mall job and began New Orleans Theological Seminary extension classes in Clinton. They stayed at First Baptist, Petal, about four years.
Their daughter, Kiersten, was born in February 2002. He had stopped seminary classes in order to care for Lynn, as she was still teaching high school. Since moving to Decatur, their son, Keenan, was born in December 2004, and son, Kent, was born September 2006.
Shaun said the children are involved in sports and “keep us pretty busy. We’re a ‘going family.’”
Kiersten is a sophomore at Newton County High School, Keenan is in the seventh grad, and Kent is in the fifth.
Another friend from William Carey, Tim Lee, was at Clarke-Venable, serving as youth minister, but had been called to pastor at Summerland Baptist Church. Bro. Lee recommended Shaun for the vacant position, and Shaun received the call from the Rev. Stan Buckley. They moved to serve at Clarke-Venable in October 2002.
He told me they were very happy to be here, and next October will be 16 years. A few years ago, he went back to seminary work, and in December 2016, Rev. Shaun Selman graduated with a Master’s of Theological Studies.
Bro. Shaun explained to me, “When I think about youth ministry, I want kids to understand who Jesus is, how much He loves them, and that He really is our first priority in life.” Also, “If our relationship with Jesus should be a priority, how do I grow in that relationship? I want them to realize that God’s Word is so important; they should have good, solid relationships with other Christians; and they need to understand that God has sent us to proclaim the message of the gospel. Serving Him in the local church, the community, etc., is a catalyst for growth, not just for the teenage years, but for life.”
They have split the middle school and high school ministries at the church, which both meet at 6:15 Wednesday evenings, and the ministry to college students is at 8:30. He believes that by eighth grade, the young people should have been taught “foundational truths,” with the high school training helping them to merge, as dedicated Christians, into culture and life. There is also a student leadership, or intern ministry, in operation, to help develop students who are called into ministry. There are three interns at the present time — Destiny Barrett, Makaeya Brock, and John Mark Vincent. The next youth “thing” coming up is Summer camp.
He told me, “Clarke-Venable has been the highlight of my ministry. We love the people here. They are outstanding, willing to serve, open to try new things. Overall, they love the church and youth. The whole church has always been very supportive of student ministry. That’s very positive. One thing I attribute our success on youth ministry to is the adult volunteers and their heart for students. I couldn’t do it without them.
“We also have a great staff that functions well as a solid team. We work together well. It’s always a good day to come to work. It’s a great place to be.” As I said, “It’s all about relationships—with Christ and with people.”
You may contact me at lagnesrussell@gmail.com or 601-635-3282.
