ministry leadership

Rev. Ben Richards

Pastor
(He/Him/His)

Born in Salem, Ohio, Ben grew up in Sanford, Florida, and calls New York home. He studied music, education, and English in undergraduate work at Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Florida, and received his Master of Divinity from Duke Divinity School. Meeting people where the are, and then through connection, teaching, and preaching, inviting them to see the ways their faith can be so much more than a compartmentalized activity—that’s one of Ben’s favorite parts of his job.

Sara Robinson

Lay Leader 
(She/Her/Hers)
Sara is a Jax local and a proud dog mom.  When not enjoying Jaguar Football or Jumbo Shrimp/Cubs Baseball, she is cooking a meal for family and friends. Sara is a young professional and is blessed to bring her operational skills to ministry. 
 

Rev. Haley Eccles

CCW Campus Minister

(She/Her/Hers)
Haley is the Campus Pastor at Campus to City Wesley Foundation, serving students at UNF, JU and Flagler College. She is married to her husband Kris and has two young kids running around the pews: Eli and Judah. Haley is a Jacksonville native and loves to take advantage of being close to the beach and the river. She loves tabletop games, reality television and a good charcuterie board. More than anything, she hopes all of us might feel known and loved by God.
 

Derrick Scott III

Leadership Chair 
(He/Him/His)

Derrick is the Creative Producer of Studio Wesley and the Co-Lay Leader for the Florida Conference of the UMC. It is his joy to serve at SMC. I am a proud black, gay man, Cicerone Certified Beer Server, history graduate, accounting disciple, and textbook introvert. He loves eating sushi, flying on Delta, pouring craft beer, talking theology, and taking care of his Chihuahua-mix dog Winston and Bengal cat Julian.