Our Ministers & Staff

Our Senior Minister
Our Senior Minister, the Rev. Dr. Arlene K. Nehring, is a passionate witness to God’s radical hospitality and transformational love.

Ordained by the Central Association of the Iowa Conference in 1988, Arlene served in three ministerial roles prior to accepting a call to serve at Eden Church in November 2002. She was Associate Minister at The Old South Church in Boston, 1988-1992; Senior Minister at The Park Church in Elmira, New York, 1992-1996, and Associate Director for the Council for Health and Human Service Ministries in Cleveland, Ohio, 1996-2002.

Arlene was awarded the B.A., magna cum laude, from Lakeland College, Sheboygan, Wisconsin, in 1985; the M.Div. from Andover Newton Theological School, Newton Centre, Massachusetts, in 1988; and the D.Min. in Preaching from Chicago Theological Seminary in1995. She holds professional certifications in organizational design and has completed graduate course work in nonprofit management.

She and her spouse, Stephanie Spencer, live in Castro Valley with their spoiled rotten cats, Tim and Chelsea. Stephanie is a cultural anthropologist and public health worker, and gladly participates in the ministry of Eden Church. When not on campus, the two can be found at local coffee shops, book groups, and cultural events.

Our Minister In Training

Pepper Swanson, our 2009–2010 Minister In Training, is a member of Eden Church exploring the ministry and theology as a potential vocation.  She is currently enrolled in the Pacific School of Religion’s Certificate of Ministry Studies and will be applying to the Master’s of Divinity program in 2010.

Pepper’s spiritual journey started as a child of awe and wonder in the Pacific Northwest where she attended a nondenominational Christian church until high school.  Pepper became an agnostic during her college years and after many years of spiritual seeking, Pepper and her family happily made Eden their church home in 2007.

Pepper’s professional experience is in the public sector.  She has a B.A. in Political Science from Willamette University and a Master’s of Public Policy from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.   In her career as a policy and management analyst, Pepper has worked for the Council of State Governments, the Association of Bay Area Governments, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the County of Alameda. Her most recent position was with the County Administrator’s Office for the County of Alameda where she was responsible for administering the cable television and telecommunications franchises, serving as a budget analyst for several County agencies including the County Library and Human Resources Agency, and coordinating public outreach events including the County’s youth and adult Leadership Academies.   

Pepper lives in Hayward with her husband Scott Swanson and their daughter Lia, and spends her free time quilting and writing in the winter, hiking in the summer, and reading whenever she can.

Our Education, Spiritual Life, and Outreach Coordinator

Liz McKay, our Education, Spiritual Life, and Outreach Coordinator, joined the Eden staff in March 2008 after serving as the Interim Director of Children’s Ministries at Calvary Presbyterian Church in San Francisco.  A former Kindergarten teacher, Liz has taught in the field of Early Childhood education for many years including a time as an instructor at Habitot Children’s Museum in Berkeley. 

Involved with the Episcopal Church since childhood, Liz started singing in the choir at an early age and later participated in a variety of church-wide programs.  Throughout her life she has worked for social justice, whether organizing volunteer tutors or helping to facilitate anti-racism trainings; she believes in the transformative powers of communities.

Born in Washington, D.C., Liz has lived a nomadic lifestyle, including a brief period of residence in Mexico where she was enrolled in an Augsburg College extension program entitled “Gender and the Environment: Latin American Perspectives.”  Liz received a B.A. in Creative Writing and Religious Studies from Macalester College, St. Paul, Minnesota, in 2001; and a M.Ed. from St. Thomas, Houston, Texas, in 2003.

Her normal hours are Tuesday – Thursday and Sunday mornings, and other times as scheduled for church events, conferences, or worship services.

Liz lives in Oakland with her partner, John. They share their space with two cats, Penelope and King James, and fishes.  In her free time she enjoys gardening, scrapbooking, traveling, photography, and writing.  

Our Music Director

Lee Steward recently moved to the Bay Area from New York, bringing with him a wide range of conducting and singing experiences. He has worked with a variety of religious organizations including the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Shelter Rock, Temple BethAm in Miami, and Highland Park United Methodist Church in Dallas, Texas. His most recent teaching positions include his work at Ithaca College, the University of Delaware, and the Boys Choir of Harlem.

Lee's performing career displays his varied interests in different styles of singing, from opera to musical theatre, to recitals and concerts.  He sang with Stephen Sondheim, Bernadette Peters, Chip Zien and Debra Monk in a dedication to Stephen Sondheim, presented on the A&E television network.  His operatic credits include leading and supporting roles in professional regional opera companies including the Berkshire Opera, Opera Carolina, and Bronx Opera.  He also sang roles, covers, and scene programs with prestigious young artist programs at Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Sarasota Opera, Utah Festival Opera, and the Caramoor International Music Festival. 

While living in New York City for the past six years, Lee performed concerts and recitals, including a Brahms lieder concert in which he collaborated with Kathleen Kelly, musical director of the Houston Grand Opera Studio. He was tenor soloist in concerts of Mozart’s Requiem and Handel’s Messiah under the direction of conductor Stephen Michael Smith. Most recently, he performed New York composer Gerald Busby's world-premiere of Between the Straits; And So Now, I and Emotion, with a text by Craig Lucas, author of The Light in the Piazza. Last year he sang Schubert's Die Schöne Müllerin and this year, Schumann's cycle Dichterliebe, collaborating with the versatile Greek pianist, Charis Dimaris.

A promoter of a variety of genres and styles, his conducting experience with the Boys Choir of Harlem included major works such as the Mozart Requiem and Poulenc Gloria as well as popular songs, gospel music, and spirituals.  His love of contemporary music led him to conduct the world-premiere of William Bolcolm’s May Day and Gerald Busby’s And He was taken up.

Lee is thrilled to be joining Eden United Church of Christ as the Music Director. He currently lives in Oakland with his wife, soprano Jessica House Steward, and their two daughters, Elizabeth (Lizzy) and Leonora (Nora).  

Our Organist

Loris Coburn has been an organist at Eden United Church of Christ since 1971, and provides organ and piano music for Sunday worship, weddings and memorial services, organ and choir concerts, and a wide array of Bay Area artistic and community service events. In addition to teaching piano and organ privately, she has also taught music at California State University, East Bay, and Chabot Community College. She and her late husband, Bill, presented many vocal recitals in the United States, Austria, Germany, and the Netherlands. Loris received her B.A. in piano from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and an M.A. in organ performance from California State University, East Bay.

Lee Steward, Music Director

Loris Coburn, Organist