Our Elders

CHAIRMAN

Wes Ooms and his wife, Norma of 48 years, moved from Central Illinois to the Village in the spring of 2021. Wes had just retired as Lead Pastor of Community Bible Fellowship, a church he planted 31 years earlier. Norma earned her PhD (“Putting hubby through Dallas”) teaching high school biology as well as taking reservations for Hilton Hotels. After seminary, Wes was a youth pastor in both Texas and Illinois for over 20 years, while Norma was a full-time mom to three children. The kids now have kids of their own, as each one married a believer in Jesus and have blessed Norma and Wes with six grandchildren in the years since.

Wes’ passion is teaching, and aside from a pulpit and youth ministry, he has been privileged to have taught ‘Perspectives on the World Christian Movement’ classes for 20 years throughout the Midwest. He and Norma have been active in international mission ministries, assisting and encouraging missionaries on four continents over the years, as well as specifically training pastors and Christian workers in Russia, Germany, Kenya, and North Africa.

VICE CHAIRMAN

Dane Thomson was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. He’s a graduate of the University of North Texas in Denton and that’s where he met his wife, Christy. They’ll celebrate 30 years of marriage in August 2023 and have 5 adult children living in Colorado and Arkansas. Dane has been a commercial real estate broker since becoming licensed in 1994 and has run his own small boutique firm since 2002. Dane and Christy purchased their dream home on Lake DeSoto in late 2020 and soon after found Village Bible Church. Both Dane and Christy have been involved in various youth ministries over the years including Young Life, AWANA, FCA and high school mentoring and continue to look for ways to minister to the HSV community. Christy was previously a pre-k teacher at First Baptist Academy in Dallas before coming to Hot Springs Village. As a certified personal trainer, she now focuses her attention on functional fitness for HSV’s aging community. They both enjoy golf, pickle ball and just being outside taking in God’s beautiful creation so evident in Hot Springs Village.

RECORDER

Brett and his wife of over 30 years moved to Hot Springs Village from Highland Village, Texas in 2020. They have a daughter, son-in-law, and three wonderful grandsons. Brett and Debbie have been proud members of Village Bible Church since March of 2021. During their time here at VBC they have enjoyed serving as greeters and ushers.

Brett was fortunate to grow up in a Christian home and worshiped at Northway Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas. It was there where he was baptized after accepting Jesus as his Lord and Savior at the age of 11. Brett holds a Bachelor’s degree in Finance from Dallas Baptist University. In 2020 Brett retired after 35 years in the Credit and Capital Markets.

Jamie was raised in Fort Myers, Florida, where my family attended First Presbyterian Church. After High School in 1980, he attended one year of college. After that year of college, he and a friend decided to enlist in the United States Air Force. During a 20-year career in the Air Force where he was an Aircraft Avionics Specialist, he met and married his wife, Marjorie. He retired at Barksdale AFB, Louisiana, in 2001. Before retiring, he completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering from Southern Illinois University, and an MBA from Louisiana Tech University. He worked in management at numerous manufacturing facilities including General Motors, Libbey Glass, and Amfuel located in Magnolia, Arkansas. During their 30 years in Bossier City, Louisiana, they attended Woodridge Baptist Church where he was an Ordained Deacon. In 2022, they decided to retire for good and moved to Hot Springs Village. Jaimie and Marjorie have been married for 39 years, and have two wonderful daughters, Emily Schwabe and Audrey Reeves, along with two grandchildren, Jackson and Coco Reeves.

Being born and raised in a rural region of northern Minnesota I was always drawn to the natural beauty and what it offered for outdoor activities. So, when offered a good job there and training for a new plant I gladly jumped at the opportunity and worked 36 years as a control room operator for a plant which extracted iron from the ground, processed it, and then shipped it to steel plants along the shores of the Great Lakes.

I’ve always believed God gave me this opportunity both for a career and in meeting my wife Patti at this time. We lived on a beautiful small lake nearby, raised three children, then retired in 2012. I came to Christ for salvation in 1980 and served as an elder, youth leader, Sunday School teacher, at a church there from 1981 until our move to Grand Rapids, Mn.. We then joined a church there in 2012 and I served as an elder, men’s ministry leader, small group leader and teacher intermittently, until we left for HSV in July of 22.

After spending a few months here and enjoying the ministry and people we joined VBC. When the need arose for more small groups and hosts, we offered to host one and have been blessed getting to know the people of our group and the work God is doing in us. We look forward to getting to know God more and in serving Him with his help however he directs us.

Chris and Amy Patterson moved to the Village on June 1, 2021. Thanks to the influence of Keith and Barbara Bobo, they visited VBC and became members in 2021. Chris was born in Queens, New York, but grew up in Houston, Texas. He graduated from Spring Woods High School in Houston and Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas, with a finance degree. He lived in Houston, Englishtown, New Jersey, Plano, Texas, and Denver. He worked for Enterprise Rent-A-Car for seven years before opening an insurance agency with American Family Insurance in Lone Tree, Colorado in 1996. He will retire his agency in May 2025.