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.
James DowCornerstone 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.
Steve Goad
Worship Ministry Assistant
Steve jokes that his official title at Willow Meadows is "Staff Methodist."
In reality, Steve has a M.Div. from Southern Methodist University, and served as pastor 8 United Methodist congregations in Texas before seeking new ministry opportunities in worship media. Steve has been a professional church media and worship director in NorthRidge (First Baptist) Church in Haines City, FL, and at the United Methodist Church of the Promise in Missouri City, TX. In 2002, Steve was blessed to work with the United Methodist Publishing House to develop "The United Methodist Hymnal-Presentation Edition" as the first hymnal to be nationally published for PowerPoint. Steve has also directed programs for children and adults with intellectual disabilities as a pastor and most recently as Executive Director of the Houston Area Respite Center. A musician and songwriter who plays a wide array of musical instruments, Steve is currently owner of ItsaGodGig Music in Humble, TX. Steve and his wife Lisa live in Humble.
"I've done a lot of things in my life." Steve will tell people. "But if I can only be remembered for one thing, it is this. I want people to say 'He was a Christian.' If that is what I'm remembered for, it will all be worth it."
Leta Harper
JourneyJAM 1st Grade Shepherd
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 eatin
g chocolate! She and husband Robert have a 14-year-old daughter Kathryn, three dogs, numerous goldfish, a terrapin, and a beta fish named Ralph.
Robert "Bob" McCain
Faith Co-Ed Class Teacher
fe Jane of 50 years are both native Houstonians. In addition to church activities, they spent many of their middle years in Little League, Fun Football, P.T.O., booster clubs and other youth related activities.
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.
Pastoral Ministry Assistant
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.
R. J. Simon
Dougout Department Director
I am the titul
ar 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
WMU President
I have attended
WMBC since 1961. I am also president of the Woman's Missionary Union, substitute in adult Bible Study classes, and 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
Preschool Sunday School Director
Judy Terry joined W
illow 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.
Matt Vandagriff
Senior Pastor
Cyndi Wehmeyer
Associate Pastor, Weekday Preschool Education
Cyndi
currently serves as the Associate Pastor/Weekday Preschool Education. She is the longest tenured staff member at WMBC completing 32 years of ministry experience in February 2010. However, she’s been attending the church even longer – since she was 5 years old. She began her career at WMBC as a preschool teacher in the M.D.O. In 1981 Cyndi moved the MDO program to the next level to become a licensed preschool program. Through the years she has worn many hats -- childcare coordinator, preschool minister, preschool director, liaison to the missions council, etc. She was a frequent volunteer on children’s retreats and youth mission trips when her daughter Erika and son Ryan were growing up. Now “Yaya” (grandmother) to Haydn, she especially enjoyed his first years when he accompanied her to WMBC, and she was able to watch the enrichment she had planned for and strategized about on paper become a reality in his life. Married to David for 34 years, Cyndi is known for her faithfulness, loyalty, and tenacity. At her ordination service she was described as a minister who speaks truth and provides practical and creative options without dictating THE answer. Cyndi's genuine desire is to make a difference in the community, day after day, insuring that the weekday program is not simply a babysitting service but a place where preschoolers and their families can find spiritual refuge.