Staff
Pulpiteer
Eric Hepburn (He/Him)
Eric is the spiritual and worship leader of the San Gabriel Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. You’ll find him in the pulpit here at least twice a month, sometimes more. He uses the title Pulpiteer out of respect for his Unitarian Universalist siblings who reserve the more common titles, like ‘minister’ and ‘pastor’, for those who have invested blood, sweat, tears, time, and treasure in the arduous processes of Divinity School and UUA Fellowship. Although he found his way into our pulpit through a different path, he honors and respects theirs.
Eric is a member of the Unitarian Universalist Society of Community Ministers and holds degrees in civil engineering and sociology. He spent twenty-six years working in higher education on information technology, fabrication technology, management, and leadership. He is a 2010 graduate of the Leadership Austin Essential program. He had been preaching, performing rites of passage, facilitating small group ministry, and working in congregational governance at First Unitarian Universalist Church of Austin (and beyond) for eighteen years before joining SGUUF in 2024.
Eric lives in Austin with his wife Christie and son Simon.
You can follow his writings on Medium, catch a sermon video on YouTube, or follow/connect with him on LinkedIN, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
Director of Religious Education
Corinna Whiteaker-Lewis (She/Her)
Over twenty-five years ago, when Corinna and her husband decided to marry, they found the First UU Church of Austin and never left. Having been raised without a religious tradition, Unitarian Universalism is the only faith she has ever known. Corinna served First UU in many different capacities during her years there, and taught Sunday school classes for five.
In early 2016, she decided to pursue becoming a credited Religious Educator as a vocation and interned both at First Church Austin and Live Oak UU for a year. In February of 2017, we commissioned Corinna as our first Director of Religious Education. It’s been a joy to have her bring her knowledge and skills to our San Gabriel community.
Administrator
John Faber (He/They)
In April 2023, John became our all-online Administrator working remotely from the Brazos Valley near Texas A&M University.
John is a husband and father of two, and his family was first introduced to Unitarian Universalism at The UU Church of the Brazos Valley in Bryan, Texas, where they became members and volunteered for several years before the Covid pandemic led to UUCBV hiring John as their Online Administrator and Technical Support. In 2021 UUCBV also hired his wife Allison as their Director of Religious Education.
John is an experienced multi-media professional whose journey as a creative entrepreneur began when he first picked up a guitar in 2003, which unlocked a creative force within him and led to him signing a record deal in 2009 and starting his own studio in 2015. In 2018 he graduated Magna Cum Laude at Texas A&M University – Commerce where he majored in Visual Communication, studying under professional artists, photographers, designers, animators and other creative professionals in the Dallas area, and he also minored in Astronomy. He now utilizes his wide array of talents, knowledge and experience as a passionate artist working to be a positive creative force in the world.