Matt Puckett
Program Director
—
Matt Puckett was born, raised, and formed in the Episcopal Diocese of Texas. In 2005 he left to attend Fordham University, where he studied sociology and theology with an emphasis on urban poverty. Upon graduating, Matt returned to Austin where he served as a Youth Director for two years. Although his original plan was to then enroll in seminary, a few of his musical projects had flourished and presented a different opportunity.
Matt decided to postpone school and work in music for the next 8 years. During this time, he toured regularly, founded and directed a summer camp, produced several records, and won (along with his collaborators) a Grammy for Best Children’s Album. In 2017, he returned to New York City to focus specifically on children’s music.
After a period of discernment, Matt earned his M.Div at Union Theological Seminary, where he further explored the questions that structure and animate his spiritual life: What are the socioeconomic implications of the gospel for a Christian in modern America? What are our responsibilities, our ethics? Who are we to ourselves, and who are we to our neighbors? And, ultimately, where and how do we locate God in all of this?
Matt is thrilled to join the West End Church community as Program Director and to explore these questions together. Like most good questions, they do not have fixed or obvious answers, but it is the asking that shapes us — may it be, for all of us, wrapped in song, service, and spirit.
Fun fact
Matt can, in fact, tell you how to get to Sesame Street. In 2018 he had the distinct honor of visiting the set on the day that they were filming a song he wrote with his children’s music collaborators. He happily confirms that, thirty years later, Ernie is still his friend.
