Pastor Eric hails from the southwest side of Chicago, IL.  He is the eldest of three brothers and a sister.  His undergraduate degree is from Concordia University, River Forest (as it was then known).  He graduated in 1990 with a dual major in theology and psychology. He then attended Concordia Seminary, Saint Louis and graduated with an M.Div. in 1994. 
Pastor Eric was ordained and installed at Saint Martin Lutheran Church Winona, MN as the assistant pastor and campus chaplain for Winona State University’s Lutheran Student Fellowship (“town and gown” ministry).  Pastor Eric served in this capacity for five years and then received a call to Messiah Lutheran Church Moundsview, MN as the pastor of youth and outreach.
After Moundsview, Pastor Eric worked as a mission planter in Isanti, MN planting Living Hope Lutheran Church.  It was during this time that he suffered personal loss and setbacks and felt the need to take a hiatus from ministry.  He left the roster for a thirteen-year period of time which served as his “wilderness wandering.” 

During this time of wilderness wandering, Pastor Eric served as a Qualified Intellectual Disabilities Professional (QIDP) and case manager working with developmentally disabled children and adults.  He also served as an Individual Social Service Advocate (ISSA) working as a case manager overseeing the funding of Medicaid Waiver, Social Security Disability, and any other benefits entitled to a developmentally disabled person.  In addition, he oversaw the proper implementation of each participant’s Individual Service Plan (ISP) and making sure the agencies were caring for the participant in an ethical manner. 

Pastor Eric served Christ the King Lutheran of Natchitoches, LA from 2017-2021.  
Pastor Eric has many hobbies and interests, including music, cars, history (specializing in Civil War, WWII and Early Church).  While the pastor of CtK he hosted a weekly radio show called The King’s Messenger.  He also formed the Cruising with the King Car Show, cofounded the Cane Country Cruisers, and hosted several annual outreach events.  
He was known throughout Natchitoches as “the ukulele playing pastor” due to his love of the ukulele.  

Pastor Eric plays the uke as a guitar, by finger picking (finger style) classical style.  He recorded a six-part series entitled Songs of the Seasons- Hymns of the Church Year.  This is a series of hymns arranged and played on his tenor ukuleles.  All hymns come from the Lutheran Service Book and follow the course of the Church Year, from Advent through Pentecost. 
Pastor Eric enjoys writing and has written a book entitled Life Beyond the Ripples- How the Heck did We Get Here?  He writes all of his own bible studies.  Among his favorites are Apocalypse- The Revelation of Saint John, Galatians- The Life of Christian Liberty, and the Epistle of James- Christianity in Action.
 

In 2013 Pastor Eric met his wife Jennifer (Elder).  They met via the online dating service Match.com.  Their romance was a whirlwind and within three weeks after meeting they became engaged.  As Pastor Eric said, “When it’s right, you know it!”  Jennifer is a life-long member of the LCMS. 

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Jennifer is the oldest child of a boy and girl.  She was born and raised in the southwest suburb of Lemont, IL.  She attended the University of Illinois where she received her degree in secondary education.  She received her MA from Lewis University Romeoville, IL in reading and literacy.  She has been teaching for over 25 years at both the middle/junior high level, and the high school level (Junior English). She has been hired by Mandeville Junior High School to teach English Language Arts to the eighth grade.

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Pastor Eric and Jennifer were married on June 7, 2014 at her home congregation of Saint Matthew Lutheran Church Lemont, IL. They were married by her long-time pastor Mike Gudgel, and Eric’s stepfather, Rev. Dr. John M. Richy.

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Pastor Eric and Jen served Christ the King Lutheran of Natchitoches, LA from 2017-2021.  It is from CtK that they now come to use here at Lamb of God.

Meet Toni Roger, our church secretary since August 15, 2022.

Toni was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, to Anthony and Camille Lamia.  She has four (4) brothers, who she is very close to, and all live in the metro area.

Toni started working in the clerical field in her high school year in the COE program (Cooperative Office Education), going to school in the morning and working in the afternoon in downtown New Orleans for a paleontologist/geologist.  After graduating from high school, she was employed by McDermott International. 

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In 1968 at the age of 18, she met the love of her life, Al Roger, and they were married on October 18, 1969.  They remained married until the death of her husband on November 17, 2021.  Toni and Al adopted a one-week-old baby girl they named Kim in 1973.  Kim was the light of their life.  After marrying at the age of 19, she made her parents grandparents of two beautiful girls.

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Throughout her adult life, Toni continued her employment in the secretarial field, working for various companies.  In 1999, she found employment with her home church, Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Covington, Louisiana.  Toni worked there as office administrator for 18 years until her retirement in 2017.  Toni’s husband was diagnosed with lymphoma in 2013, and had chemotherapy with cancer free results in months.  In 2018, Al was diagnosed for a second time with a more progressive type of lymphoma.  He had to have chemotherapy and radiation, and never fully recovered from this second cancer.

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After Toni’s husband passed away in 2021, she felt the need to find employment again on a part-time basis.  The opportunity (with God’s guidance) led her to Lamb of God Lutheran Church in Slidell, Louisiana, in August of 2022.

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Having met the wonderful Pastor, his wife, and so many loving people here at LoG, Toni now feels part of this church family and is a new member as of December 2022. 

Meet our organist, Louis Mayer. Louis has been our organist since 2018. Louis previously was the organist and choir director for 15 years at the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Slidell, Louisiana and a member of that church. He became the organist at Good Shepherd in 2003 when the church held its first services. He also concurrently served as organist and choir director for First English Lutheran Church in New Orleans and was performing each Sunday morning for their two services at that church on Franklin Avenue. Thus, for a brief period, he performed three services each Sunday.

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He began studying piano when he was 8 years of age by taking music lessons at Werlein’s Music on Canal Street in New Orleans. He has received musical instruction in piano and/or organ from Werlein’s, Grunewald, NORD, and private lessons and has attended several musical conferences over the years. When he was 8 years old, he participated in a citywide musical contest at Tulane University and received a semi-finalist designation. His professional career as a Lutheran Church organist began in 1970. Louis has been the Sunday service organist for the following churches:

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St. Timothy Lutheran Church – New Orleans, LA. (First church to be organist – 1970), Gethsemane Lutheran Church – Chalmette, LA., St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church – New Orleans, LA., First English Lutheran Church – New Orleans, LA., Bethany Lutheran Church – Slidell, LA., Good Shepherd Lutheran Church – Slidell, LA, and Lamb of God – Slidell, LA.

Louis has been a substitute organist at other Lutheran Churches in New Orleans, Chalmette, Slidell, Picayune, and Houma, LA and has served as a substitute organist at non-Lutheran Churches in New Orleans. He has served as the organist at many weddings and funerals in the metropolitan area, and also as tenor soloist for Sunday services, weddings and funerals.

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After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Tulane University asked Louis to be the project coordinator to replace the pipe organ in the Roger’s Memorial Chapel on the Uptown Campus. After several months of plan development, a new Schantz pipe organ was installed in 2006 at a cost of $186,000.00. This organ is used today for services and performances in that facility. Louis has performed on that instrument for weddings, funerals, and other services held in that facility.

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Louis holds two college degrees from LSUNO in German and a MPH in Public Health from the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine (TUSPHTM) in the field of Biostatistics and Epidemiology. He has completed several post graduate courses from the TUSPHTM and completed several undergraduate courses from the Tulane University School of Music to include vocal music.

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Louis is married to Lana Gerica of New Orleans, and they have no children. They reside in Slidell, Louisiana.

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Louis was baptized, confirmed, taught Sunday School, married, served as organist and choir director at the First English Lutheran Church in New Orleans, LA and attended the St. Paul – First English Lutheran School from kindergarten to ninth grade (1955 – 1965).

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He still provides musical instruction to students in his home studio on his very own Schantz pipe organ.