Rev. Adam Sparks
Senior Pastor
asparks@stmumc.org
Adam Sparks is a native of Salyersville in Eastern Kentucky. He and his wife of 12 years, Melanie, met at the Wesley Foundation at Morehead State University, where they both graduated. Adam has a B.S. in Psychology from Morehead State (2005) and an M.Div. from Asbury Theological Seminary (2009). Melanie is currently the choir director at Bullitt Central High School. Adam and Melanie have two sons, Noah and John, and a Labrador Retriever named Lola. Adam has served congregations at Bethel/Mt. Pleasant, Owingsville, Sunshine in South Shore, and College Heights in Elizabethtown. He enjoys cycling, hiking, cooking, University of Kentucky basketball, listening to NPR, and going on adventures as a family
Rev. Renee Jennings
Associate Pastor
rjennings@stmumc.org
Renee grew up in Louisville, graduated from Seneca High School, IUS, and Louisville Seminary. Prior to coming to SMUMC as our River City campus Pastor, she served as Associate Pastor at Highland United Methodist Church in Ft. Thomas, and most recently as the campus minister at Northern Kentucky University. Along with husband Patrick their family includes Aago the parrot, Oreo the corn snake, and twin lionhead bunnies, Ralph and Felix!
Renee enjoys knitting, crochet, cross stitch, and quilting - as well as baking. She professes to be wildly competitive at Mario Kart and almost all board games, and she and Patrick are fluent in Star Wars, Star Trek, and Marvel; plus she speaks Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter!
Rev. Maikel Rojas
Assistant Pastor
mrojas@stmumc.org
Maikel has been apart of the St. Matthews UMC community since September, 2016, when his current church plant began meeting here on Sunday evenings. Maikel, his wife Lily, and 2 sons Jonathan & Jordan, come to us from Cuba. Maikel graduated from the University of Ciego de Avila in Cuba and began his pastoral career in 2004. For six years he served as senior pastor and established three new churches in nearby cities. In 2010 Maikel and his family moved to Florida where he worked as an assistant Pastor before moving to Kentucky in 2012. Here he worked as a Hispanic Church Planter for the Kentucky conference, launching four churches that are in a process of wonderful growth and multiplication.
Harrison Zoercher
Director of Discipleship & Missions
hzoercher@stmumc.org
Harrison began his ministry at St. Matthews as organist in 1996. Following a lengthy career in the telecommunications industry, he became Communications Coordinator for the Kentucky Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church in 2002, and the Director of Communications and Emerging Ministries for SMUMC in 2004. Harrison has served on the United Methodist General Conference and Southeast Jurisdicational Conference Communications Teams, Kentucky Conference Board of Ordained Ministry, the Executive Committee of the Louisville Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, and the Board of Directors of Loucon Training & Retreat Center, Wesley House, the Louisville Chrysalis Community, and St. Matthews Area Ministries.
Shannon Seidt
Director of Children's Ministries
sseidt@stmumc.org
Shannon is a lifelong Louisvillian. She received her Bachelor’s from MacMurray College in Jacksonville, Illinois, where she triple-majored in Religion, French and Philosophy. She received her MBA at Bellarmine University and has done additional post-graduate work at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary and Bellarmine. Throughout her life, Shannon has felt God’s call into ordained ministry, and has followed God’s leading into inner-city, prison, and youth and children’s ministries. Now at St. Matthews, God has led her to serve the children of the church and community and their families. She and her husband, Chris, have two wonderful children, Mason and Caleigh. On the side, Shannon loves clowning, foreign language study, singing, and spending time with the family in the great outdoors.
Noel Weaver
Director of Music Ministries
In addition to his position at St. Matthews UMC, Mr. Weaver is the Director of Choral Activities and Chair of the Music Department at Ballard High School. He holds a B.M.E. and a M.M.Ed. from Morehead State University, and also completed the coursework for the Ph.D. in Choral Conducting at Texas Tech University. He has served as choral director in public schools in Ohio and Kentucky, and as Director of Choral Activities at Southern Arkansas University. He has been named a Distinguished Educator by the United States commission on Presidential Scholars; KMEA State High School Teacher of the Year in 2013; and along with his wife Melissa was the 2013 recipient of the Robert K. Baar Choral Excellence Award from the American Choral Directors Association. In more than 40 years of music ministry, Mr. Weaver has served churches in Kentucky, Ohio, Texas and Arkansas. Mr. & Mrs. Weaver are the parents of five children: Mary Kathryn, Aaron (Choral Director at Waggener High School in Louisville), Nathan, Jacob and Rachel (an Elementary Music Teacher in Atlanta, Georgia); and two grandsons: Luke and Jacob.
Sandy Hottell
Administrator & Financial Secretary
shottell@stmumc.org
Sandra Hottell (Sandy) joined the staff of SMUMC in December, 2020. Sandy has 30 years of accounting experience in a variety of different industries, and also serves at Board Treasurer/Bookkeeper for Brandon’s House Counseling Center in New Albany, Indiana. A life-long Indiana resident, Sandy currently lives in Jeffersonville.
In her spare time, Sandy enjoys reading biographies and true crime books. She is a U of L Cardinals fan, and loves the Green Bay Packers.
Miriam Rodriguez
Music Associate - Canvas
miriamsavedbygrace@hotmail.com
Miriam was born in Pharr, Texas, and grew up in Corpus Christi, Texas. She's an only child. She got her B.S. in Biology at Pensacola Christian College. Following graduation, she lived in Atlanta for four years before moving to Louisville in 2005. In addition to her position as Music Associate at SMUMC, she works full time as a legal assistant at a downtown law firm. Miriam has many hobbies including art, playing and watching sports, perusing estate sales and traveling. She loves animals of all kinds, especially her two dogs, Reese and Parker
Kate Shafferman
Care Coordinator
Kate has been a member of St. Matthews since 1974, and coordinates ministries and services to members who are in need of assistance and comfort. She maintains relationships with members who are unable to participate in activities of the church. Kate also coordinates ministries for grieving families, and is the staff representative for the Family Ministries Committee.
Frank Krause
Sexton
As a member of the St. Matthews staff since 2000, Frank oversees the care and maintenance of the church’s physical plant and campus. His generous, cheerful spirit and his professionalism reflect his great care for the diverse congregation he serves. And he makes a terrific catfish dinner!