Roger Thomson

Family:

I am Roger Thomson. I have attended SWFF since 2004, after moving to Austin from Chicago with my family. I have been married to my wife Julie for 30 years and have 3 grown daughters, Laura, Lane and Amy and a son in law Travis. By day I work for the state of Texas in emergency management.

What I do at church:

I have had several roles at Southwest Family Fellowship, among them volunteer, Children’s Ministry Director and Youth Pastor. I am now in the role of Elder which comprises a little bit of everything – jumping in to serve as needed – and sitting on the board. 

Education:

For most of my K-12 education, I was home-schooled.  The family joke was that my mom was the teacher and my dad was the principal – I never thought it was very funny actually.  After a few years of trying to figure out a career path, I decided on a life filled with computers.  I graduated from Herzing University with an associate’s degree in computer-aided design.  This took me on an exciting road trip through the school of hard knocks that included network administration and client support roles.

How I got here:

The Thomson family moved to Texas several years ago from Chicago.  After visiting several area churches we came across SWFF and never left.  From the first service we attended, we felt welcomed and immediately became involved in serving various ministries.

Favorite sports team:

Toronto Maple Leafs.  Being born in Canada, it is a national requirement to learn how to ice skate and play hockey.

Favorite toy growing up:

Anything to do with Evel Knievel.  In case you don’t know, Evel Knievel was an American motorcycle daredevil known for his motorcycle jumps over pits of rattlesnakes, pools of sharks and rivers.  I have fond memories of playing with the Scramble Van and Stunt Cycle.

Favorite Bible verse:

John 3:16.  This verse is the all-in-one message of God’s love and plan of salvation for everyone – concise in message, deep in meaning.

Favorite Bible story:

There are so many awesome Bible stories filled with heroes and legacy-makers, but one always gives me goose bumps when I read or hear it – the story of the prodigal son found in Luke 15:11-32.  What an amazing story of human nature and God’s love.  The image of the father looking for his son to return and accepting him with open arms is awesome.