VESTRY
Ben Williams, Senior Warden:2023-25
Dr. Ben Williams was raised here at Good Shepherd. He has been an active member of this congregation since he was a child. In fact, Ben has also been involved in our Tend My Lambs Mission Ministry for all of the 32 years Good Shepherd has enjoyed this ministry. Ben and his wife Emily have two boys, Arthur and Bryce, both of whom serve as acolytes. Emily also serves on the EDS Board and heads the Parent's Prayer Group which meets here on Monday mornings. Ben serves as a Eucharistic Minister here at Good Shepherd and at our school Eucharists here at EDS. His mother Glenda is also an active member of the TML ministry, a Eucharistic Minister, lay-reader, Pastoral Care Member, and an active grand-mama to Aurthur and Bryce. Ben has served on the vestry a number of times, and we are very excited to have him serve as Senior Warden, as he brings a well-rounded approach to leadership.
Toni Yoder 2024-26
Toni Yoder has been associated with Good Shepherd for many years through her association with EDS. Toni's three grown children are all alumni of EDS, as is her eldest grandson. She presently has several grandchildren enrolled in the school and one of her grandsons will graduate from EDS next year! Tony is the co-owner and manager of Oilquip, Inc here in Lake Charles. Oilquip is a third generation business serving the industries throughout the region. Toni is also a trained potter and loves giving her time at the wheel as a way to give back. She works annually with the Salvation Army's Empty Bowl Project. In addition, she and her granddaughter Nina make the Communion wafers we use each week. She brings her fine-tuned business management skills and her love for charitable work to the table, something every vestry needs.
Denise Rau: Treasurer
Denise Rau is another homegrown member. Denise was raised here at Good Shepherd, and she and husband Fred raised their family here as well. Fred and Denise have two grown sons, who love to come home and visit. Denise is a retired Financial Planner, and when we heard she had nothing to do, we had to scoop her up! She is a fabulous Treasurer. Denise has a love and zeal for Good Shepherd that runs deep. Both she and Fred are very active. Fred helps to head up our cook teams for Sunday breakfasts, but he also shares his cooking talents with us all at other times too. Denise's mother, Ms. Betty Emerson, is also an active and enthusiastic member of our Church family (and she makes the best brownies in the world!). With Denise's leadership we restructured our finances and had a successful audit. Additionally, we have grown our Good Shepherd Foundation Endowment, and we are very excited about the future of Good Shepherd.
Mary Jones: Chancellor
Mary Jones is an attorney, here in the Lake Charles community. Her family has been a part of the Good Shepherd family since its inception. Mary is the first Chancellor of the Church. She was recruited by Mother Mitzi as one of her first orders of business. A Rector of a church the size of Good Shepherd needs good legal advise on many issues. The Chancellor assists the rector and the vestry on contracts, writing resolutions, policies, and negotiations. Mary has a long history as an oil and gas attorney doing just that kind of work and has been instrumental in helping us to move forward with all of our hurricane damage, and our new policies. Mary also serves as the Chair for the Diocesan Committee on Constitution and Canons.
Nancy Shaw 2024-26
Nancy Shaw is one of our newly elected vestry members, but not a stranger to Good Shepherd or Church councils. Nancy served as Secretary to the Convention for the Diocese for many years. She has also served on the Executive Council, the Standing Committee, and has served as a deputy to General Convention several times. Nancy is a cradle Episcopalian and a Camp Hardtner fanatic! She is married to Bob Shaw between them they have four children and several grandchildren, and lots of cows as they live on a ranch in Ragley. Nancy loves the Episcopal Church and takes every opportunity to learn as much as she can about the Church she loves so dearly, and then she uses that knowledge to further the mission of the Church. We are thrilled to have her on the vestry.
Earl Daigle 2024-26
Earl Daigle is a lifelong Episcopalian. He and his wife Marybeth have two sons: Owen is grown and on his own. Carson is a sophomore at EDS and has been at EDS for a most of his educational years. Earl's mother Margaret also lives with the family. Earl and Marybeth are loving caregivers to both Earl's mother and Marybeth's father. Earl and his family attend the 10:30 service here at Good Shepherd. In addition, Earl is a Maintenance Supervisor at Lyondale-Bassell. His expertise in maintenance makes Earl a great asset for the vestry. We are so happy to welcome him aboard.
Mason Lindsay, Building and Grounds: 2022-24
Mason Lindsay has been a member here at Good Shepherd since he was a child. He and his wife Ann (our secretary) have raised their children here at Good Shepherd, and their grandchildren presently attend EDS and serve as acolytes and jr. altar guild members. Mason is Chair of our Buildings and Grounds Committee and with his background in maintenance in the major industries here in Lake Charles he brings a lot of knowledge and know how. If you notice anything broken or in need of repair, let Mason Know and he will get it fixed.
Thomas "Kip" Sanders: 2022-24
"Tom" is a practicing attorney in Lake Charles, and as such leads a very busy life. He serves here at Good Shepherd as a Eucharistic Minister both for the main Church and at our Big Lake Chapel (from Easter - Labor Day). This is Tom's second year of his first term as a vestry member. To be elected to a vestry within a congregation that has no rector, and extensive damage due to two major hurricanes takes bravery. Tom stepped up without flinching. He also serves on the Finance Committee. Tom and his wife have a daughter at LSU and make an effort to spend time with her in Baton Rouge as often as they can.
John Richards: 2022-24
John is another home-grown boy! He was raised here, and his parents are still very active within the Church and EDS School communities. John is also in his second year of the first vestry term. He is the youngest member of our vestry, but that doesn't bother John at all. He is a fearless leader! The vestry benefits from his youth and he keeps us ever mindful of how much our 20 somethings bring to the table. John recently graduated with his under-graduate degree and is presently applying for flight schools around the country. John hopes to become a commercial airline pilot. John is also an active member of tech-video team. On most Sunday mornings you will see John sitting at the back running our sound system and video equipment for livestreaming. He is such a delight and has a wonderful sense of what it means to be a part of a Church!
Martha Hoskins: 2023-25
Martha is a seasoned vestry person, although serving her first year of her 2023-2026 term. She is an educator, having taught History at McNeese State University for many years. She brings a plethora of skills to the vestry including her organizational skills, her understanding of Constitutions, Canons, and By-Laws, along with her expertise in Roberts Rules of Order. She is an exceptional note taker and serves as this vestry's Secretary. Martha has been a member here at Good Shepherd since the early 80's when here children attended EDS. She serves on the Tend My Lambs Committee, she is a Eucharistic Minister, and serves on the Altar Guild. She has also served on multiple Diocesan committees. Martha is great to work with and we are so thankful for her willingness to serve.
Clayton Davis: 2023-25
Judge Clayton Davis joins our vestry as a member of 2023-2026 class. He and his wife Geralyn have been active members here at Good Shepherd for many years. They told our new Rector that they were ready to help in any way possible, well, she took them up on that when she asked Clayton to run for the vestry. Clayton and Geralyn both serve on the Brown Bag Committee helping to pack and give out much needed groceries to those less fortunate. Judge Davis is a very respected member of the Bar here in Lake Charles. He brings to the vestry many years of well-reasoned and thoughtful decision making, excellent management skills, and a real heart for justice and rightful actions, all of these are vital to a well-functioning Church community. We are fortunate to have Judge Davis join our team!