Our Team
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Susan Arnold
Director of Membership and Social Media Susan (she/her) joined the Soul Matters staff in the fall of 2016 after serving as the Small Group Program Coordinator at her home congregation, The UU Fellowship of Topeka, Kansas. She writes, “Where I once lived life visualizing myself as a tree with a deep tap root, because of Soul Matters, I now find that my roots, thoughts, and hopes are shared in an interconnected web of roots reaching all over the world." In her role on the team, Susan ensures that those roots connecting us to each other are strong and ever-expanding. Contact Susan by email at [email protected] |
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Rev. Scott Tayler
Team Lead and Founder of Soul Matters Rev. Scott (he/him) has been a UU minister for over 25 years and is trained in couples and family therapy. He started Soul Matters as a small group program for a congregation he was serving and over the last 10 years it has grown into the full ministry sharing circle it is today. About this journey, he writes, "What began as a handful of seminary buddies supporting each other has organically become a means for deep congregational interdependence. Ultimately, for me, Soul Matters is about healing spiritual disconnection. It mends the divides between and within congregations. It is grace in action and the interdependent web become real. What a privilege to be a part of that!” Contact Scott by email at [email protected]. Rev. Tayler offers consulting on a wide range of issues; click here to learn more. |
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April Rosario
Director of Religious Education Resources April (she/her) is a Credentialed Religious Educator at the advanced level, a certified OWL instructor, and an RE consultant. She is serving as the Director of Lifespan Faith Formation at First Parish Church in Waltham and one of the founders and chairs of the annual Building Bridges Family Conference on Star Island. She is also the recipient of the 2020 Marjorie Bowens Wheatley scholarship, a scholarship for BIPOC women who feel called to service in the Unitarian Universalist Faith. Contact April by email at [email protected]. April offers consulting on a wide range of issues; click here to learn more. |
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Rev. Dr. Michelle Collins
Worship & Small Group Packet Researcher Rev. Michelle (she/her) is a long-time UU minister. She a graduate of Starr King School of Ministry and received her Doctor of Ministry from Wesley Theological Seminary. Having used Soul Matters resources for twelve years in her parish settings, she brings an excellent eye for what resources serve leaders best. We love it that she considers research “play”! |
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Adam O’Dell
Music Resources Coordinator Adam (he/him) is the Director of Music at First Unitarian Church of Chicago, as well as a pianist, organist, and ASCAP and Kennedy Center Award-winning composer. He is currently a Doctoral Candidate at the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University, and a graduate of Clarke University (BA) and Bowling Green State University (MM). His career has taken him across the country and around the globe as a composer, performer, and presenter on the topics of evolutionary musicology, music theory, and choral music. His music ministry is grounded in the belief that music has the power to comfort and heal, but also to challenge its listeners and practitioners to greater levels of understanding and action. You can contact Adam at [email protected] Adam offers consulting on a wide range of issues; click here to learn more. Liv Radue
Middle School RE Resources Lead Liv (she/her) is the Director of Children's Programming at Harvard Unitarian Universalist Church and serves on the executive team for the Building Bridges Family Conference on Star Island. With a background in both theatre and editorial work, she brings a playful spirit, clarity, and deep care for community to her work. "What I love most about UU education is our ability to learn together and play at the same time. Stories and games aren't just fun; they are powerful tools for connection and exploration." You can contact Liv at [email protected]. |
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Rev. Sara Lewis
Youth Ministry Resources Lead Rev. Sara (she/her) has served as a religious educator for 16 years, is credentialed at the Leadership level, is a Renaissance (now Spark) program facilitator, and has authored and co-authored curricula for all ages. Sara is also ordained as an interfaith chaplain and is a spiritual director. She is currently part of the curriculum team for the 2024-2025 UUA Common Read, Authentic Selves, which focuses on the stories of thirty-five transgender and nonbinary people and their families. Sara has raised her own kids (now 18 and 21) in UU youth programs and has a deep appreciation for the importance of a values-based and life-affirming ministry to youth. You can contact Sara at [email protected] |
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Rev. Sandra Fees
Online Small Group Leader & Practice Matters Lead Designer Rev. Sandra (she/her) is an experienced teacher and facilitator, a published poet and creator of the newsletter Poet in Spirit. A Unitarian Universalist minister, she has served congregations for over 20 years. In addition to creating our Practice Matters small group packets, she facilitates our online Creativity Matters, Practice Matters and Poet in Spirit groups. A former poet laureate of Berks County in Reading, PA, she holds a Master of Divinity degree, Doctor of Ministry degree, and BA and MA in English Literature. You can learn more about her at [email protected]. Dr. Andrea Natalia Naranjo Erazo
UU Writers Facilitator & Curriculum Team Member Andrea (she/her) has been a member of the UU affiliated Washington Ethical Society since 2016. She helps develop our UU Writers packets and often facilitates our online UU Writers groups. She has a background in running journalling groups in a professional setting. In her spare time, she enjoys playing with her 4 year old son and loves watching the sunsets in her rooftop with her husband. |
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Nancy Benben
Facilitator of Online Soul Matters Groups & Spiritual Discernment Offerings Nancy (she/her) is a member at the First Brewster UU Church on Cape Cod and a teacher of Spiritual Companionship at the Spiritual Life Center in Hartford, CT. Nancy has been a Spiritual Companion and teacher for many years and has extensive training using the Enneagram and Bio-Spiritual Focusing as tools for spiritual companioning and personal growth. |