Hello members and friends of Mount Vernon Unitarian Church.

I am super excited to meet all of you very soon.

My name is Reverend Ian White Maher and I’m thrilled to be the candidate for your new minister.

The search committee has already shared so many exciting and tender stories about you. And they’ve gone above and beyond to help me and my partner feel welcome. It’s already been joy in what is otherwise kind of a stressful process.

I’m just incredibly grateful, filled with this overwhelming sense of expectation and excitement and even kismet.

In the announcement email, you’ll find a link to my website where you can hear some of my sermons and read some of my vision for Unitarian Universalism. And I look forward to hearing more about your vision for MVUC in particular and our faith in general in just a few weeks.

As a sort of funny aside, I actually applied to be your interim minister two years ago and I had such a good feeling about your community that I actually listed your church second because I wanted the chance to apply to be your permanent minister.

Your interim search committee was so fun and amazing and the story they told me just made me want more than two years with you. And this search committee has confirmed that decision in every possible way.

It is so clear how special you are. And I really feel like we’re a great fit.

So I’ll keep this short.

I just wanted to say hi, introduce myself, tell you how excited I am, really excited.

And I’m looking forward to meeting all of you very soon.

Peace.