As our two-year Interim Minister for First UU SLC, Rev Ian has challenged the Congregation and Board to always ask, “What need does this church fill in this community that nobody else does?” He has presented us with ideas around spirituality, service, justice, community, generosity, meditation, and even UU “evangelism” that are insightful and sometimes stretch us out of our comfort zone, but are also necessary to evaluate our church’s Mission and Vision for the future. In doing so, he has also been receptive to feedback and open to explaining or adjusting his approach, so that we are better prepared to become a vibrant liberal church community of the future. Through these efforts, volunteer opportunities have become more thoughtful and organized, and new membership has grown during Rev Ian’s time with our congregation.

Under Rev Ian’s leadership, our church staffing model has become much more effective and efficient, with outsourcing of costly administrative services to become a more fiscally responsible organization. We have also been introduced to a better understanding of resources available through the UUA to support church governance, financial planning, and church leadership. These transitions have made us better and set up our church community for a sustainable (and exciting!) future.

Getting to know Ian as a professional and as a person has been such a joy. When he first arrived, there was low motivation among the staff and distrust among laypeople. His collaborative and solutions-oriented approach helped people relax and open up, and begin to solve problems together. When it was revealed that a staff person had been embezzling the congregation, Ian was calm and steady in leading the congregation's leaders through getting the funds returned and developing preventative policies. A situation like this one could have resulted in years of conflict and mistrust, but Ian's skillful management led us to better functioning and transparency, and stronger relationships as well.

In worship, Ian is thoughtful and brave, leading the listener toward deeper spiritual growth and openheartedness. In supervision, he guides staff toward giving their best, holding them accountable with well-defined goals yet listening for their needs as well. In meetings, he's fun but agenda-focused, keeping things on track and productive without sacrificing relationship. I'm constantly awed at how Ian brings authenticity and presence to any effort. And he makes us laugh - and our church really needed laughter when he met us!

I hope that I get many more opportunities to work with Ian, and I envy the next church that will benefit from his authentic, courageous leadership.

I was at first nervous about taking part in the lay ministry program, and it was Ian’s introduction—framing lay homilies as gifts to the congregation—that put me at ease and helped me see the meaningful contributions that I could make. From the very beginning, Ian fostered an atmosphere of collaboration and a generosity of spirit among the lay ministers, and we were each able to engage in deep, compassionate reflection with our own stories and with each other as part of a wider spiritual community.

I found the process that Ian created so valuable because it afforded many dimensions of depth, whether intellectual, emotional, or spiritual, and because it instilled a sense of purpose and responsibility for how we can build bonds of interconnection and community. It was moving to see these fundamental UU principles come to life and spark sustained conversations with fellow members of the congregation. The process enabled me to revisit personal experiences with refreshed eyes and deepen the meaning that they hold in my life; it brought me to forge intimate connections between my experiences and a broad range of spiritual topics. Being a lay minister has enriched how I envision the meaning of spirituality in ways that I could not have imagined before. Rarely has a responsibility felt so enriching and full of possibility.

Calling Rev. Maher as our interim minister was one of the best decisions our congregation has ever made.

Rev. Maher transformed the services into a celebration of worship and faith development. His enthusiasm for the musical portion of the worship experience gave others permission to smile, clap, and dance, as the music resonated with the entire congregation. He taught us that music does have a transcendent power.

While many ministers have the ability to deliver a good sermon, Rev. Maher’s messages were extremely well-prepared, deep and contemplative. His sermons encouraged us to be an active part of a spiritual movement that could transform the world while deepening our individual faith. Ian tactfully transformed Sunday mornings into a dynamic spiritual growth experience that touched members and visitors of all ages. Never in the history of UUTC had we experienced maximum attendance at both services, however, we found ourselves scrambling for additional seating space. We never anticipated such growth and excitement. It was an exciting time for the congregation.

In the past, a worship team at UUTC had focused primarily on logistical details of the service, with lesser thought given to “partnering” with the minister to ensure spiritual growth opportunities on Sunday morning. Ian challenged the team to reexamine itself and cull those aspects of the service which were detrimental to the worship service and add elements that were seminal to our mission. This had a ripple effect in causing all members to work toward being a missional church, as opposed to being an orthodox church.

Ian’s leadership caused the members to reassess which teams were actually working toward accomplishing the mission of the church, as opposed to those teams acting on the desires of one or two persuasive members of the team. Rev. Maher showed strong leadership by actually dissolving the social action team until it could create strategies that were along missional lines, and involved a greater number of members. This was done openly (and wisely), with care and compassion for those members who were asked to reconsider the role of this team in conjunction with the overall mission of the church. Ian’s effectiveness in the pulpit and community was noticed by other denominations and their clergy. Until Ian, UUTC had little interaction with other clergy, and other faith communities. UUTC delighted in following Ian’s lead in participating in NAACP activities and other social action activities. This involvement continues today and Rev. Maher deserves the credit.

His easy-going personality and approachability had members, friends, and visitors clamoring for his personal time. Yet, he managed to find time to visit with those with serious and/or life-threatening ailments. This is indicative of his superior time management skills and genuine concern. He was a minister to ALL members of the congregation.

He has the leadership skills so desperately needed within our faith community. To us, Rev. Maher was the ultimate ambassador for Unitarian Universalists. He did an absolutely outstanding job at UUTC as our minister and I would recommend him to any congregation searching for a minister. Be forewarned that you may need to add seating capacity.

Ian described himself as a “UU evangelist,” and soon swept up most of the congregation – there were few his presence didn’t reach – in his joyful enthusiasm for our faith. As Director of Music, I was among those who had the most to learn from him. Particularly the “teal book,” otherwise known as Singing the Journey. We had rarely used it in our congregation prior to Ian’s arrival, but now some of our favorite congregational songs are in that book. Working with Ian, both in our regular weekly staff meetings and in our one-on-one conversations, was always pleasant, to-the-point, and efficient. He definitely had his ideas and was not shy in promoting them, but was also always open to other ideas from others on the staff. I remember that especially from our worship committee meetings, when we would discuss his ideas for changing parts of the service. I almost always came away convinced that Ian’s would be the best way.

Working with Ian White Maher as the minister at UUTC 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.

Ian came to our church as an Interim minister 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. Love for oneself, for each other, for community and for those who do not necessarily think, act and do as we as Unitarian Universalists strive to do given our 7 Principles. And most importantly he practices what he preaches!  He is creativity in motion, inspiring those around him to be their best selves.

As the Director of the Children’s Religious Exploration program I was part of our weekly staff meetings with Ian, the Music Director and our Administrator. Over time, I actually came to love staff meetings, something new for me. Each week I looked forward to coming together as a staff to plan, strategize, check-in and laugh. My favorite was breaking into song with my co-workers. Ian was able to balance seriousness and humor, a skill that helped him be a leader to his staff as well as the entire congregation. From the pulpit he made people laugh, cry, sing, dance, clap and revel in the love surrounding them from the moment they stepped into the sanctuary. He is an honest, sincere and dedicated minister whom I was privileged to work with. My only regret was that it was too short a period of time.

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. By asking me to participate in the Lay Minister program, he gave me a key to a door into my own spiritual and emotional space. The key was there, I just had to use it. While I am sure no one experienced the program in the same way, we were able to nurse each other’s wounds, support each other’s creativity, understand each other’s hesitations, and push each other’s boundaries. I felt both safe and exposed.

During this experience, Ian was available. Knowing that each of us was vulnerable, as our choice, he was loyal to us and guided us in choosing expressions that reflected our selves in healthy and healing ways. We had many laughs, tears, and life-altering discoveries.

Sharing ourselves with the congregation in this deeply personal and authentic way made space for new relationships within our community. While not every homily was a big hit, the sincerity of reflection from others was full of a human richness that I had not known existed. While my motives may have been personal healing, the manifestations of my openness were kindness, compassion, interest, love within my community.

At the end of the program, when Ian moved on from his interim position, our service returned to using “readings” before the sermon. While these words are moving, I missed the personal connection of the one who’s heart from which they came.  The readings seem to minimize the power of the community we have within our fellowships. What if we each were heard as important as Gandhi, Whitman, Levertov, Angelou?  They often say “it” better, but context is so easily altered or misplaced.

Ian was so much more than our Lay Minister program.  His ability to be personally attentive as well as professionally respectful was significant.  He made himself accessible while also maintaining his own important boundaries.

Interacting with a community with so many varied needs seemed natural to him.  He identified sources of conflict within our church and actively attended to them.  I was impressed by Ian’s ability to incorporate the church’s financials so effortlessly, being personally engaged with the people he was speaking to and finding a comfortable approach with money.  I was also witness to the growing attendance at our services when Ian was speaking.  His sermons struck chords that resonated in our community and drew more and more folks in.  Ian’s ability to be fearless in what he spoke about was powerful (and raised some eyebrows at times).  It was both inspirational and challenging in our small town.

Ian’s time with our community was invaluable.  What he taught me in the short months he was here will continue to fill me up.  Doors within me have opened, and my journey is on a much more compassionate, beautiful, grace-filled, and celebrated path.

I was casting about for a spiritual home in my new north Brooklyn neighborhood, jumping from church to drumming circle to church, when the local Episcopal priest suggested after one Sunday service that I might want to meet a certain redheaded Unitarian who’d started a congregation in the area. Father John said it sounded like my beliefs, and those of this “Ian,” were a good fit. My life has never been the same since.

Ian quickly became my pastor and my friend, and the church he founded, Original Blessing, that long-sought-after spiritual home. I began attending Sunday services, held in the basement of a local yoga studio; small group ministry (plus vegetarian dinners) at Ian’s home a couple of Wednesdays a month; and the occasional series of special study sessions. I dived into the community outreach that was such an important part of Original Blessing’s mission, helping Ian realize fantastic ideas of his that ran the gamut from financial literacy classes for the cash-strapped to giant bubble-blowing sessions in the park for kids and adults.

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. I turned to, and trusted, him in matters not only pastoral but professional, personal and, yes, even sometimes profane. Together, we explored ideas and practices from spiritual traditions from around the world.  I don’t know if anyone else would have been up to the task. I met the right man at the right time.

Ian is one of three people who have significantly altered the direction of my life and the contours of my heart.

It’s tough to put Ian’s leadership into words. He covers the whole range of human emotions – from the serious and tragic to the playful and mischievous. In retrospect, because he doesn’t take himself too seriously, he is able to be self-deprecating and humorous, which helps us confront the confronting, sit with the uncomfortable, and open our hearts wider than we thought possible. There is something about who he is, how he greets us, hugs us, loves us, that makes me think that even with all the battles we have to fight (individually and collectively), the world is good and pure and joyful, and that it’s okay to admit we need one another.

It’s tough to describe this elixir of his, but we all became hooked on it. Ian is unapologetically daring and infinitely creative. The questions he poses (often vis a vis personal anecdotes as to not talk to down to us), nudge us towards our own inquiry. Ian bravely exposes and expresses his own brokenness so that we might confess our own and together we might love one another more deeply less fearfully.

It’s important to point out that Ian isn’t afraid to fail, which has since stood out as the most important mark of a true leader. How can we even begin to ponder the big questions like how to fill the special deficit of this country, of our own hearts, or heal our planet, or realize that there is a force in love with us even in our darkness, without taking risks? He pioneers new territory constantly, through creative worship, social justice, and community-building. And because of this, it’s very clear that he’d rather his message be heard then fit in. Ian’s in it to light your heart on fire, nothing else.

Ian helped me realize that I am a seeker and that I cannot seek alone. He helped me touch the core of my hunger to draw closer to source. He helped me realize that my hunger is natural—because the material world cannot satiate what the soul craves and the soul cannot feast alone. Ian is a community builder if I’ve ever known one. I don’t want to oversimplify his work. I see how much he lays down to bare to deliver his work in the world. He is the opposite of the sterile and removed leader who prepares his safe speech or sermon behind closed doors, delivers it and goes home. We get the sense that he is on a journey with us—that he is doing the work he does as much to help us in the world as to help himself.

Ian is undeniably human and utterly lovable. Once he leads your congregation you’ll know exactly what I mean.