Home Ministry Leadership Outreach References

Working with Ian was pure joy for me and I could see that same joy reflected in the faces of others in the congregation on Sunday mornings. I would recommend him without reservation to any UU congregation searching for a minister who will bring his joyful enthusiasm for our faith into their worship services.

— John Austin, Music Director

Working with Ian was pure joy for me and I could see that same joy reflected in the faces of others in the congregation on Sunday mornings. I would recommend him without reservation to any UU congregation searching for a minister who will bring his joyful enthusiasm for our faith into their worship services.

— John Austin, Music Director

Spiritual Depth

A Caring Community

A Church That Serves

Sermons

The sermon can both entertain and educate, but I strive to set my sermons within a context to help people find direction for their spiritual journey. Over the years, I have heard from so many people who feel lost when it comes to their spiritual lives. They struggle to articulate what is most important to them, where they feel connection, and how to identify what they are experiencing. 

To help people, I preach from a thematic calendar based on a year-long arc of spiritual development. It is difficult to dive into a deep understanding of forgiveness or courage or surrender in a single sermon. I enjoy using the entire month to explore how these themes impact our lives.

My goal is to help people feel spiritually competent. When people start to develop spiritual competencies they not only become more articulate around spiritual ideas and they are also able to apply them to their lives more easily.

I've included a few sample sermons from my current congregation.

Under Ian’s spiritual, and secular, guidance, I became involved and engaged in congregational and community life as never before. As my pastor — really, the first person I could ever truly call my pastor, freely chosen — Ian opened up a world of possibilities for me.”

— Ken Kiesnoski

      

I was not at all a spiritually competent person. In the past, I have even been so uncomfortable with it that my friends, those who really know me, enjoyed watching me cringe at the use of words such as “intimacy” and “faith”. Somehow Ian saw around that and invited me to participate in one of the most gratifying and incredibly healing experiences of my lifetime.

— Brigid Fox, Lay Minister

I was not at all a spiritually competent person. In the past, I have even been so uncomfortable with it that my friends, those who really know me, enjoyed watching me cringe at the use of words such as “intimacy” and “faith”. Somehow Ian saw around that and invited me to participate in one of the most gratifying and incredibly healing experiences of my lifetime.

— Brigid Fox, Lay Minister

Lay Ministry

For the past 14 years, I have trained people to preach with me every Sunday. And it has become one of the most beloved aspects of every congregation I have served.

On the surface, it looks like a program designed for the lay preacher, but the real purpose is to inspire the people in the pews.

When members hear their peersĀ share beautiful homilies about their spiritual journeys they aspire to do the same. And very soon the congregation as a whole is having richer, more engaged conversations about what this life means.

I have included a few homilies from the most recent group of Lay Ministers. Please take a listen. Each of these people said they could not preach. But they can and so can you. All it takes is a little training and a little practice.

Click to hear a selection from this year's Lay Ministers

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Ian came at a time when our congregation had become quite stagnant and complacent. He brought with him a surge of new and vibrant energy. He guided us to reflect as staff, congregants and as individuals as to our true mission and passion. He guided us with love, not judgment. Love is what Ian is all about. He preaches love.

— Heather Layton, DRE

Ian came at a time when our congregation had become quite stagnant and complacent. He brought with him a surge of new and vibrant energy. He guided us to reflect as staff, congregants and as individuals as to our true mission and passion. He guided us with love, not judgment. Love is what Ian is all about. He preaches love.

— Heather Layton, DRE

Faith Formation

The lifelong process of faith formation is marked more by an inner willingness to explore and to seek than any set curriculum or collection of answers. Cultivating an openness and embrace of this inner willingness — in our children, youth, and adults — is the single most important gift we can offer. If a person can learn to be curious, faith formation will happen naturally.

I encourage congregations to have our children join us in the main sanctuary once a month for a fully interactive and intergenerational service. If we want to be more effective in raising children and youth who are interested in their spiritual lives, I believe our focus should be on the RE teachers and particularly on the parents, who spend the most time with the children. Few parents feel equipped to lead the spiritual education of their children at home despite being the ones who have the most opportunity to do so. I enjoy working with the RE committees to help support parents on their own spiritual journeys because this has a direct impact on the spiritual journeys of our children.

His involvement in pastoral care far exceeded our expectations. Often, Ian was the first to arrive at the hospital or at the home of a family experiencing tragedy or loss. His calm, meaningful presence made all the difference for those receiving his care. It’s hard to imagine how he could have been more in tune with the needs of our members and friends.

— Cantey Carpenter

His involvement in pastoral care far exceeded our expectations. Often, Ian was the first to arrive at the hospital or at the home of a family experiencing tragedy or loss. His calm, meaningful presence made all the difference for those receiving his care. It’s hard to imagine how he could have been more in tune with the needs of our members and friends.

— Cantey Carpenter

Pastoral Care

Sitting with people during vulnerable times is one of the great privileges of ministry. The stories told and the confidences shared always remind me how fortunate I am to have this vocation. We are able to experience what this gift truly means when we are able to participate in the process of giving and receiving ourselves. 

Training people for the pastoral care teams of a congregation is one of my great joys because it offers people a way to participate in the gift. 

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