Biographies
Church
Biographies
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Doug Bogan
Dougout Teacher
Doug has led the Dougout group since approximately 1988. He has also served a chair of the deacons and chair of the personnel committee. He has been a member of Willow Meadows since 1970 and an active member since about 1980. He and his wife Diane have two adult children, Brad, who lives in San Antonio and Lacy, who lives in Houston. In addition to the Dougout, he is one of the leaders of WMBC's Mexico Mission and is a volunteer at Omega House.
Hobbies: Doug's hobbies include fitness activities, especially cycling, and enjoys participating in the Lance Armstrong Foundation Livestrong Challenge, held annually in Austin. In addition to that, he enjoys traveling, especially to where there are mountains, where hiking is his favorite pastime. As the name of the class may suggest, he is a lifelong baseball fan and former player.
Awards: Doug is a fellow in the Academy of Dentistry International, an organization dedicated to participation in and support of dental care activities all over the world.
Vocation: Doug is a dentist and has practiced general dentistry in Houston since 1973.
Jason Dixon
JourneyJAM 5th Grade Shepard & workshop presenter
Background: I was born in Columbus, Ohio, but grew up in rural central Texas in a little town called Buda just south of Austin. I have been a member of WMBC for 10 years, and have worked with children (1st-5th grade) most of that time. I have also served the church in many other roles including: Diaconate, Pastor Selection Committee, Vision Community, and Worship Council to name a few. My true passion is the kiddos, I guess I can relate better to them than to adults. I am married to Lee Anne (Shull) Dixon, and we have 2 trouble-making little boys Jacob (5) and Carter (3). You might see them running through the halls at the church, they love the place for some reason, go figure?
Hobbies: I’m a true weekend warrior. I love to hunt and fish, play all sports (as my aging body will allow), and work in my yard and on my home. I’m a big fan of the Rockets and Texans.
Awards: Two sons (see Interesting facts section . . . )
Interesting Facts - I have triplet sisters (22 months younger than me) Yes, I know . . . my poor mother . . . .
Vocation: I graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in engineering and have been employed as a structural engineer in the Oil and Gas Industry for 10 years designing offshore platforms.
James Dow
Cornerstone Intergenerational Department Director
Cornerstone is a class of intense, in-depth Bible Study of various books of the Bible as selected by the teacher and class
Jim graduated from Auburn University with a Civil Engineering Degree and an MBA from the University of Alabama. The last 23 years of his career were spent as a partner in a manufacturer's rep firm. He retired and began part-time consulting as a Registered Professional Engineer. He is a consummate reader and studies the Bible regularly. He also in an avid golfer and is addicted to Nordic Trak for exercise. Jim and his wife Hazel have five children and four grandchildren.
Todd Ferguson
Associate Pastor, Children and Youth
Todd has been with Willow Meadows since June of 2007. He is originally from Longview in East Texas. After getting his B.A. in psychology from Baylor University, he moved to North Carolina. There, he attended Duke Divinity School and worked in various Baptist and United Methodist congregations. He received his M.Div. with a Certificate in Baptist Studies in May 2007. Todd is passionate about teaching children the basics of faith and leading youth into “deeper waters” as they trust God. His friends would say that he loves to cook and has an unusual habit of exploring random college campuses.
James Furr
Conerstone Teacher
James teaches practical theology at Houston Baptist University and provides church training and consulting around the country. James and his spouse, Rhonda, joined Willow Meadows Baptist in 1989. She teaches music at HBU and is organist at First Presbyterian Church in Houston. They have four grown children and two grandchildren.
Tracie Gray
Associate Pastor, Worship & the Arts
Tracie Gray originates from Plano, TX, and has spent most of her life living there and in another city that ends in “o”, Waco, TX. She attended Baylor University and Truett Seminary where she received a Bachelor of Music in Church Music with an organ concentration, a Master of Music in Church Music with a music ministry concentration, and a Master of Divinity. After all that schooling, she figured she had better put it to good use, so she responded to God’s call on her life by accepting the position of Associate Pastor at Willow Meadows Baptist Church where she passionately heads up the Worship Arts Ministry. Tracie now resides in the Westbury neighborhood with her lhasa apsos, Gabriel and Daisy, who like to listen to Tracie play her upright orchestral grand and bark at the neighbors.
Leta Harper
JourneyJAM 1st & 2nd Grade Shepard
Background: Leta is a retired HISD Clerk and was a secretary for an assistant principal and two counselors at Westbury High School. She has been a member of WMBC since l975 and has taught 2nd Grade SS for 25 years. She also is married and has two married sons and three grandchildren.
Hobbies: reading
Dian Kidd
Mapquest Teacher
Dian serves as Associate Director of the Union Baptist Association in Houston. She grew up in Oklahoma, spent 8 years as a high school English teacher, holds a Masters of Divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and spent 4 years advising international students. Her interests include learning what makes people who they are, teaching Bible in Sunday School at Willow Meadows Baptist Church, learning about other cultures, missional movements in the early Celtic church, walking, reading, spending time with her family, and eating chocolate! She and husband Robert have a 14-year-old daughter Kathryn, three dogs, numerous goldfish, a terrapin, and a beta fish named Ralph.
Gary Long
Senior Pastor
Gary completed undergraduate training at Campbell University, completed the Master of Divinity at Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond (Virginia), and is presently nearing completion of the Doctor of Ministry degree at Baylor University.
What really makes him tick is delighting in his family at home and sharing life with his family at church. He’s been a student of Family Systems Theory and has an interest in all things related to leadership, especially when it comes to increasing a church’s spiritual and relational vitality. As a fanatic about Carolina basketball, he hopes to one day have a personal conversation with Roy Williams about his coaching philosophy and faith. Gary's favorite past times are reading and shooting pool with friends, as well as watching his son’s little league baseball, his two daughters’ dancing and stage acting, and driving his kids all over the city for their activities. His great indulgences always seem connected to sneaking away for long or short trips with his favorite gal and wife, Traci.
Robert McCain
Faith Co-Ed Class Teacher
Robert attended six institutions of higher learning, earning degrees from Baylor and Sam Houston State. After a 44 year career in HISD, he retired to spend more time on interests in sports, reading, history, art and music. Membership in The American Legion, The Sons of the American Revolution and the Rotary club indicate an interest in patriotism and service.
Family Ministries Coordinator
Stephanie grew up in the small town of Columbus, TX and in the west Houston suburb of Katy, Texas. She attended Houston Baptist University where she received a B.A. in Secondary Education with a Social Studies Concentration. In the fall of 2002 Stephanie married her dream-boy, Buddy, and began her first year of teaching middle school history in Alief ISD. After teaching 7th and 8th grade for three years, Stephanie became an Instructional Specialist for two Alief middle schools. Then as a great surprise to her, God plucked her from the public school system and directed her to her current position at Willow Meadows in June of 2007. Stephanie’s hobbies include just about any craft that has been invented; the occasional jog, talking about “deep thoughts,” obsessing over select TV shows and movies with her husband, and fawning over her ridiculously cute and loveable Pomeranian, Buffy.
Mary Laneva Roberts
Journeys Teacher
An active member of Willow Meadows for 17 years, Mary Laneva has taught preschool, youth, and adult Sunday School, children’s choir, GA's, small group discipleship studies, and anything else that needed a teacher. She and husband Steve have 3 great daughters.
Mary Laneva is currently serving as the Outreach Director at WMBC part-time. She is also a substitute teacher for HISD, so nothing you can do will scare her! She loves being around people and helping people connect. Whether at work, school, or church, this gives her great satisfaction.
Lisa Robinson
JourneyJAM Shephard
Background: I claim both Texas and Louisiana as my home states! I grew up in a little town near Dallas but was born in north Louisiana and went to college in South Louisiana at LSU! I have lived in some great cities--New York, Paris, Munich, plus Baton Rouge, Houston and Dallas I'm the daughter of a political science professor and an opera singer. My husband is a native of Mississippi who I met at LSU.
Hobbies: I love to read a wide variety of books and articles, both fiction and nonfiction. I love to write, especially introspective pieces and travel writing. I enjoy playing the piano but don't make much time for it. I love both old and new movies. I love traveling and enjoy hiking. I enjoy listening to classical music.
Interesting Facts: I have 3 girls, Claire, Rachel and Genni, ages 17, 13 and 11. I helped renovate my neighborhood park, Karl Young Park. I served on the WMBC staff as Outreach Director for 1 1/2 years. I played a trumpet solo in a high school band competition at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas TX.
Vocation: I am an attorney by training. I am currently working for an advocacy group called Children At Risk here in Houston. Before that, I was an active volunteer at church, my children's schools and my neighborhood.
Wayne Shull
Presenter in various JourneyJAM Workshops
Background: I first started attending WMBC in 1961 when I spent the summers in Houston while on break from the University of Texas in Austin. After graduation from UT with a Bachelor of Architecture Degree in 1965, I spent two years in the United States Army as a US Transportation Corp. officer. In the fall of 1967 I began a 9 month tour of England, Europe, Tunisia, Greece and Turkey to see the many architectural monuments that I had studied in school. My wife, Fran, and I met while playing volleyball at WMBC in 1969 with a young single adult Sunday School group. As a young married couple, Don Kouri and Shirley Kouri were our first Sunday School teachers; we did not have co-ed classes at that time. I directed the 7th grade Sunday School Department for 7 years and taught a Laotian refugee Bible study class for several years. For the last several years I have enjoyed working in both the preschool and children’s Bible Study classes. Fran and I raised two daughters, Lee Anne Dixon and Kathy Anderson, at WMBC and now enjoy seeing two of our grandsons, Jacob and Carter Dixon, enjoying the many activities at church. Presently I am serving as the Chair of the Vision Community.
Hobbies: vacations to the beach, an occasional deer hunting trip, refinishing furniture, working in the yard and attending our grandson’s sporting events.
Vocation: I have been a Principal in the architectural firm of Kendall/Heaton Associates, Inc. since 1978. Examples of our various projects can be found at http://www.kendall-heaton.com
R. J. Simon
Dougout Department Director
I am the titular director of the department, which consists of one class. The class has two very qualified, erudite “facilitators,” neither of whom needs any direction. I have delegated all of my other duties so that I have none. Finally a job that I can handle! The department and the class run like a finely oiled machine . . . a Swiss watch, if you will.
Background: Born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, as were all of my immediate ancestors. Texas roots go back to early 1800’s. I bleed MAROON and graduated from TEXAS A&M. I also graduated from the University of Texas School of Law and very much appreciate the education that I received there. Most of my adult life has been devoted to the practice of law in Houston, Texas. When I graduated from law school, I said I wanted to work anywhere in Texas except Houston. I have lived here since 1964.
Hobbies: My most expensive hobby is travel, mostly in Western Europe. France is visited frequently since I sleep with my translator. In an effort to ward-off dementia and other forgetful syndromes, I busy myself doing crossword puzzles and . . . .
Awards: I have four children and three grandchildren. What other awards could be worth talking about?
Interesting Facts: One of my grandfathers was born in Mission Concepcion in San Antonio. Another ancestor came to Texas with Prince von Solms when he founded New Braunfels. The world is more or less round and not flat. My translator also cuts my hair. 1961 is 1961 upside down and is my Class Year at TEXAS A&M, which must mean that I am pretty special . . . well, at least special if not pretty. Also, SIMON is NOWIS upside down, which also seems unique. I have the attention span of a gnat. Cleopatra wasn't Egyptian; she was Greek. Eggplants and tomatoes are not vegetables, they are fruits.
Vocation: Semi-retired but still enjoy working for people that I like . . . or to whom I am related . . . and pretty much limiting my practice to estate planning, probate, real estate and business transactions.
Lila Slavens
Companion Class Teacher
I have attended WMBC since 1961. Presently I am teaching the co-ed Companion Class in the Challengers Department. I am also president of the Baptist Women and I sing in the choir. I am a retired HISD school nurse. I am a widow and have two children and three teenage grandchildren, all of whom live in the Houston area. My interests include music, reading, theater, and travel.
Judy Terry
Jr.JAM'ers & Lil JAM'ers (Preschool Sunday School) Director
Judy Terry joined Willow Meadows in 1973. During this time, she has worked with children, as a paid nursery worker, volunteer, and staff member when she coordinated Kid Power, a once-a-week after-school program for students at Shearn. She earned a Bachelors of Art and Masters of Education (early childhood) from the University of Houston. She was elected President of the Houston Area Association for the education of Young Children and served on the Texas Department of Human Services Title XX Regional Day Care Committee. Judy has taught in the child development departments of both San Jacinto College and Houston Community College. She has about 10 years teaching and administrative experience with child day care.
She met her husband Mike at Willow Meadows. They have two daughters and one son: Suzanne who is a stay-at-home mom of 5 children; Natalie, who is a stay-at-home mom of 3 children; and Daren, who is a 1st Lt. in the Engineering Corps of the Army and stationed in Iraq.