Our Minister and Staff
To contact our staff, go to our Contacts page.
Rev. Paul Beedle
Rev. Paul became our settled minister in the Fall of 2024 after serving as a contract minister the previous year. For ten years prior, Rev. Paul served First Unitarian Universalist Church of New Orleans. Before that, he served congregations in Houston,Texas, and Santa Barbara (interim), Pasadena (interim), Riverside, and Sacramento (interim), California. In some of those places he also served as an on-call chaplain at local hospitals. He was trained in spiritual direction at the FinD program of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas. His seminary training was at Union Theological Seminary in New York City, and his parish internship was at West Shore UU Church in Cleveland, Ohio. Rev. Paul was ordained in 1999.
Stephanie Judkins, Director of Religious Education
Stephanie “Farmer Fin” Judkins has served as our DRE since Summer of 2022, when she was hired to reboot and build the youth RE programs at UUCLR. She has a long and vibrant career with theatrical work in both Arkansas and Missouri in addition to her years coordinating experiential educational programming for Heifer International at the Heifer Ranch. She is multi-talented and enthusiastic in everything she does. In her other life, she runs a small farm in Perry, Arkansas, and loves her goats, pigs and other animals. She is a supporter of our local food network and a champion of basic human rights and inclusivity.
Rebecca Roetzel, Church Administrator
A member of UUCLR since 2008, Rebecca was hired in January of 2025. She has served in administrative and director roles at various nonprofits in Little Rock over the last 20 years including Heifer International, Ferncliff Camp & Conference Center, Women & Children First, and Our House Shelter. Most recently she was the Executive Director of Camp Mitchell, a camp and retreat center on Petit Jean Mountain. Rebecca is passionate about food, music, youth programs, efficiency, and (most of all) her two children, Luke & Katy.
Kendi Jensen Loving, Music Director
Kendi brings a wide background of musical skills and experiences including drums, vocal training, classical violin and more. They hold a Master’s degree from the University of Limerick in Ireland. Kendi most recently worked as a major gifts officer for Arkansas PBS Foundation. Kendi and his partner Jaimee have two daughters and have done many collaborative, musical undertakings over the years.
