Beloved Community Spotlight

Rachel Young’s story is one of discovery— of community, of faith, and of what it means to truly feel at home.

A Louisiana native, Rachel grew up in Slidell before spending six years in New Orleans, where she met her husband, Ross. The two were introduced through mutual friends at church, quickly bonding over a shared love of Doctor Who. One of their first dates? A trip to ComicCon to see Matt Smith—hard to beat as origin stories go. A year and a half later, they were married in Slidell, and this August they’ll celebrate 10 years together.

Rachel and Ross have been in Baton Rouge for seven years, building a lively household with their two daughters—Madelyn (7) and Vivian (3)—and their almost 11-year-old Maltese, Rocco. Life is full and busy, with much of their free time happily spent keeping up with their children’s activities and energy.

Professionally, Rachel has built her career in IT Audit and now works with Hancock Whitney Bank in IT Governance, Risk, and Compliance. Ross, meanwhile, has spent most of his career as a web developer—a pairing that makes for a household well-versed in both logic and creativity.

Rachel’s path to St. Margaret’s began with a search. After moving to Baton Rouge, she and Ross were looking for a church community—one that felt inclusive and authentic. Though they had never attended an Episcopal church before, something clicked the moment they visited St. Margaret’s. “We stopped looking,” she says simply. “We knew we had found the church where we belonged.”

That sense of belonging marked a significant shift in Rachel’s spiritual journey. Raised Southern Baptist, she later attended a non-denominational church before attending and ultimately being confirmed in the Episcopal Church at St. Margaret’s. Along the way, she found herself reexamining long-held beliefs and, in her words, discovering “so much more grace” than she had experienced before—something she describes as deeply freeing.

What Rachel loves most about St. Margaret’s is the people. The church community’s warmth and diversity have led to deep friendships, and she’s especially grateful for how the church continues to grow and evolve. She points to the children’s program as one example—how it has expanded and adapted alongside the increasing number of young families, creating a space where her own children can thrive.

There’s more to Rachel than meets the eye. After college, she spent two years living in Africa, conducting research on people groups—an experience that undoubtedly shaped her perspective on community, culture, and connection. She lived in Mali, West Africa and traveled from jungles in southern West Africa to the Sahara Desert in northern Mali. She learned the national language, Bambara, and interviewed village chiefs, while spending many nights in tents or mud huts.

At her core, Rachel is grounded in what matters most to her: family, friendship, and faith that continues to grow and stretch. Asked how she’d like to be remembered, her answer is both simple and profound—that she loved her friends and family well, and that she adored her children.

If you see Rachel at St. Margaret’s, chances are she’s surrounded by little ones, deep in conversation with friends, or jumping into the life of the church. Either way, she’s worth getting to know—and someone who helps make St. Margaret’s feel like home.