Rev. Edith Louise DeVilbiss was born in Louisiana but lived in Texas and Colorado most of her life. In the 90’s, she spent four years in NW Florida. In 2001 she returned to Louisiana and considers Lafayette her home. When she was called to ministry her highest level of education was a GED. She went to college while working full time and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology. She then completed a Master of Science in Counselor Education from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. She then went to Atlanta and attended Candler School of Theology at Emory University, where she earned a Masters of Divinity.

After earning her BA, she was employed with the Lafayette Addictive Disorders Clinic as the counselor for the adolescents in the program. She loved working with the young people. She says, “The struggles that they had with alcohol and other drugs was only a small piece of our work together. Along the way, I realized that there are limits to what people can accomplish on their own. However, divine intervention makes a significant difference in outcomes.”

Rev. Edie reports she is thrilled to be appointed to Louisiana United Methodist Children and Family Services. She recognizes the integral role that faith plays in the work of the organization. The agency’s effort to provide the best residential care for the young people and the support that is provided for their families are under-girded by prayer and devotions. Direct Care workers, supervisors, administrators and everyone in between all strive to demonstrate God’s love to the youth. She says, “I am privileged to have been called to this ministry with all of these beloved children of God.”

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