WELCOME

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.