Finding God in Community and Creation
For many members of our parish, faith is a journey shaped by family, experiences and the communities that support us. For longtime parishioner Janie Braud, that journey began at her baptism at St. Alban’s Episcopal Church in Columbus, Ohio. Her family later moved to Baton Rouge in 1961 and attended St. James before eventually becoming part of Trinity Episcopal. When Janie and her husband,Charlie, moved to their home in the Tara subdivision in the late 1980s, they began attending St. Luke’s. In time, her parents, Howard and Joan Samuel,followed and became members as well. What started as a childhood introduction to the Episcopal Church grew into a lifelong connection to this parish.
Janie’s earliest memories of St. Luke’s go back to childhood visits. While the church campus was still surrounded by cow pasture, her parents occasionally brought her here because her mother believed St. Luke’s offered particularly good Sunday school classes. Those early experiences planted seeds that would one day become deeply rooted in this community.
Although regular worship was always part of her life, Janie says she did not fully experience what it meant to belong to a church family until she faced a personal crisis.After the death of her sister, Susan, she found support through the pastoral care of Father Jenkins and through joining a Bible study then known as Thursday Night Together, led by Diane Turgeon. Janie describes Christian community as something that enriches spiritual growth and fosters friendships. She believes that while church offers joy and connection in ordinary times, there will come a moment when someone truly needs that community, and being part of it becomes a blessing.
Janie is completing her third year on the Vestry and will finish her term in December. She represents the Outreach Committee and serves on the Altar Guild. She said yes to Vestry service because she felt it was important to give back to a parish that had given so much to her and her family. Having benefited from the leadership of others for many years, she believes strongly in the value of sharing responsibility in any organization. She often reflects on the example of geese flying in formation and taking turns at the front to support one another. To her, this is a model worth following.
Serving on the Altar Guild has become one of the most meaningful aspects of her parish life. She appreciates learning the details and traditions behind preparing the sacred space. She also cherishes memories of working quietly in the former sanctuary and experiencing peaceful moments alone with Jesus. She remembers well the challenge of setting up worship in the gym after the fire and is grateful that phase is behind the parish.
Janie felt strongly that after the fire it was important for St. Luke’s to remain active in serving the wider community. She saw the remarkable turnout in the gym the morning after the fire and the generosity surrounding the Soiree as signs that St.Luke’s remained vibrant even in hardship. She believes that as the parish rebuilds, it will continue to rely on support from both the congregation and the community around it.
One of her newest commitments is serving on the Diocese Environmental Commission. Although she is still learning about its work, she is excited to be part of a ministry focused on caring for creation. Being outdoors is central to who she is, and she feels that this calling fits naturally with her passions.
Janie is active in several environmental and nature-focused organizations, including the Master Naturalists, Master Gardeners, the Louisiana Native Plant Society, Wild Ones of Greater Baton Rouge and the Louisiana Photographers Society. She also completes her sixth year on the board of the Friends of the LSU Ag Center at Burden and continues to volunteer as a Trail Master, working in the wilder parts of the property. She also loves spending time with her two grown children, Alex and Dillon,who now live in California.
A lifelong educator,Janie taught science at Tara High School for 27 years, later worked in curriculum for East Baton Rouge Parish Schools for seven years and then trained teachers for an educational publisher for five years. She describes herself as a nature nerd, with degrees in biology and natural sciences. Her love of learning also shapes her spiritual journey. She sees faith formation as a lifelong process and hopes that along the way she can be of some good to others.
Janie’s story is one of faith, resilience, generosity and a deep love for God’s creation. Her life and service reflect the heart of what it means to be part of a church family,and her example continues to inspire those around her.