REFERENCES
Congregants, Main Line Unitarian Church in Devon, PA (my current ministry)
Yassara Antar (President), written recommendation below. (610) 505-1352, antar.y@gmail.com
Kit Burns (Arts Ministry Leader), written recommendation below. (610) 762 3872, kitburns@gmail.com
Nuala Carpenter (Social Justice Leader), (610) 688-6454, nualadenham@gmail.com
Craig Farr (Transition Team Leader), (215) 915-6662, chfarr17@gmail.com
Rev. Doug Hunt (Small Group Member), (484) 844-1120, revdoughunt.78@gmail.com
Carolyn & Wolfgang Jaeger (Transition Team Member, Congregational Leader),
Carolyn: (610) 896-4644, carolynjaeger16@gmail.com
Wolfgang: (610) 308-7965, jaegerwo@hotmail.com
Dilip Kumar (Board Member), (610) 517-1942, dilipkumar029@gmail.com
Hiro Nishikawa (Social Justice Leader), (610) 574-1253, ahnishikawa@comcast.net
Gene Ramsbottom (Social Justice Leader), (610) 574-6186, earamsbottom@gmail.com
Ron and Joanne Rose (Transition Team Member, Congregational Leader), (610) 293-9567, rrandjd@aol.com
John Smith (Congregational Leader, UUA President’s Council), (267) 918-0714, johnfrancissmithiii@gmail.com
Frank Weber (Men’s Group Leader), (484) 432-0300, frank.weber@comcast.net
Jeanette Wheeler, MD (small group ministry leader), 610-896-7210, jwheeler@haverford.edu
Church Staff (past)
Sandra Selvitelli (Executive Director, Charleston). 843-743-5178, sandra@charlestonuu.org
Danielle Lopez (Director of Religious Education, Charleston). 843-723-4617, danielle@charlestonuu.org
Kelly Blackmarr (Music Director (former), Savannah UU Church, written recommendation below, 912-713-7975, kellyblackmarr@gmail.com
Congregants, Charleston Unitarian Church
Al Finch (Vestry Board Chair, Charleston), written recommendation below. (843) 906-2071, fincha@citadel.edu
Amy Hudock (Worship Committee Chair, Ministerial Search Committee Member, Charleston), (803) 553-7562, amyhudock22@gmail.com
Gail Schiffer (Past Vestry Chair, Ministerial Search Committee Member, Charleston), (843) 216-0326, dgschiffer@comcast.net
Hillary Hutchinson (Vestry Board Vice-Chair, Charleston), (843) 225-3224, hillary.hutchinson@gmail.com
Judy Bruce (Pastoral Care Team Member, Charleston), written recommendation below. (941) 408-3661, brucejw2@gmail.com
Priscilla Shumway (Past Vestry Chair, Current Vestry Member, Strategic Planning Team, Charleston), (843) 425-1850, Priscilla.shumway@gmail.com
Ren Manning (Treasurer and Vestry Member, Charleston), written recommendation below, (404) 202-6039, clarence_manning@bellsouth.net
Richard Hayes (Social Justice Committee Chair, Ministerial Search Committee Member, Charleston), (843) 377-9311, rhayes73@aol.com
Suzanne Hardie (Strategic Planning Team Member, Charleston), (843) 327-4757, suzannelhardie@gmail.com
William Epes (Member and Minister in Formation, Charleston), written recommendation below, (716) 352-1983, wepes7@gmail.com
Clergy
Rev. Kaaren Anderson, Former Senior Minister, First Unitarian Church of Rochester, (585) 709 9204, uurevkaaren@gmail.com
Rev. Jen Crow, Co-Senior Minister, First Universalist Minneapolis, (612) 825-1701, jen@firstuniv.org
Rabbi Robert Haas, Senior Rabbi, Temple Mickve Israel, (912) 704-1190, rabbihaas@mickveisrael.org
Rev. Billy Hester, Senior Minister, Asbury Memorial Church, Savannah, GA, (912) 695-3330, bghester3@comcast.net
Rev. Dr. Cynthia Lindner, Director of Ministry Studies, University of Chicago Divinity School, (773) 702-8280, clindner@uchicago.edu
Rev. Jennifer Ryu, Minister, UU Church in Eugene (was Affiliated Community Minister, Unitarian Church in Charleston, Now Serves in Eugene, Oregon) (757) 880-4692, jennryu0@gmail.com
Rev. Scott Tayler, Soul Matters Program Director, Formerly - Senior Minister, First Unitarian Church of Rochester, (585) 709-9120, uuminister@me.com
References for any other ministry service are available on request. Please note additional written testimonials are included below from other settings.
WRITTEN TESTIMONIALS
Ms. Yassara Antar (President, Board of Trustees, Main Line Unitarian Church)
I have worked with the Rev. Dr. Messner for a year at MLUC as the Board’s President. And am honored to have served on the Interim Search Team, in the year prior, that selected him to join our congregation in August 2021. I remember when Rev. Messner signed off via Zoom as his interview ended, sitting in silence with the other two members of the search team as we all pondered the same thing - how to secure him as our interim? Maybe if we drove to his current location, loaded up his awesome wife, kids, menagerie, lovable Blue Heeler, all their belongings, and drove to PA, he’d be forced to make us his first choice in the UUA Ministerial Matching Game. Spoiler - he chose us.
If you let him, Rev. Dave will be the changemaker you need. He will analyze who you are, what you need, and devise an implementation plan with almost scientific precision. Yet, he is highly adaptable and flexible. For example, MLUC is immersed in a bucolic suburb of Philadelphia among many colleges and universities. Rev. Dave is the first minister to ever capitalize on that resource by visiting the campuses in the area in an outreach effort to that millennial population. “Growth” is every church’s objective, yet he is the only person to attempt to tap into that demographic despite the fact that most college students are poor. Millennials don’t have money, that’s a fact. Rev. Dave welcomes them anyway.
Rev. Dave is a doer. He will establish goals for your institution, and more importantly, execute them. Trust him to implement the changes that need to be established. He will work for you. He’s successful in identifying how best to leverage your assets, use your resources, and develop a plan to help you survive and thrive. Only radical disruption brings any sort of meaningful cultural shift and profound change. I highly recommend Rev. Messner be your disrupter.
In my role as board president, Rev. Messner has been an invaluable support and ally. He’s a highly skilled facilitator, and optimistic futurist. I long accepted that when entering into any conversation with him, he will be at least 11 steps ahead. He will have the cost/benefit analysis calculated, a pro/con explication at the ready, and an action plan set to go before you’ve completed your train of thought. His is a lightning fast computational brain. But he’s kind. And full of grace. He listens, and meets others where they are. I witnessed this most notably in the outcome of an exchange with a congregant some months ago. Story time...
A long-time member of our church was engaged in casual conversation with Rev. Dave about what she was reading for her book club, when she posed a question about the nature of God. I assumed his mind quietly ran through all the ways it could be answered. Should it be through hermeneutics? Epistemology? philosophy, or religion? He ultimately genuinely thanked her for sharing that question with him after asking her how she would answer. Four months later, a small crowd stood outside the church as Rev. Dave dedicated a small spiritual book exchange library so that the discussion continues even when he’s moved on.
Reverend Messner is a model of deeds, not creeds. He has certainly embodied MLUC’s mission of transforming lives through love, service, and a welcoming faith. He’s transformed us, and allowed himself to be transformed, as well. You are lucky to have him on your team.
Ms. Kit Burns (Congregational Leader, Main Line Unitarian Church)
Our church's mission is "Together, we transform lives through love, service and our welcoming faith." Rev. Dave embraced this mission whole heartedly and during his time here caused transformation to happen. He kept transformation in mind at every turn.
The church came alive under Rev. Dave's leadership. We had become a rather inert, distanced church after the double problems of COVID and loss of our settled minister. As we slowly came out of COVID, I was aware that the church was struggling and just did not seem to be as alive as it had been. Rev Dave arrived like a whirlwind and got everything going. He has a great talent for cheerleading, drawing people in, starting lots of activities both of a spiritual nature but also just plain fun and certainly many activities also included snacks or meals. I found him affable and good to work. A little example: He asked The Art Group (of which I am co-chair) to paint the new Small Free Spiritual Library that he had purchased. He gave us complete artistic freedom and just enough direction that we knew what he had in mind in general but the freedom to be creative, which resulted in a job well done in record time. I used it as a group building experience for new and old members or the Art Group. We painted it together in one of our OPEN STUDIOS and when it had been installed, he had a nice dedication and gave credit to those people who helped make it happen. Basically, I am saying that he is a fine manager.
He has a different/new way of looking at things. He revamped the Social Action Committee selection process to be project based - more like Shark Tank - so the church can fund specific projects with specific budgets of time and money of the people involved. This works so much better than just giving money to a committee who then has to figure out how to use it. I would say this shows that he is both a creative and practical thinker.
His sermons reflect this creative side and also his practical side. They are relevant, spiritual and very easy to listen to and stay awake in. As a matter of fact, they tend to wake me up instead of putting me to sleep. They are a call to action! He is a positive and enthusiastic person and this comes through.
I have been a member of MLUC for over 60 years. I joined when we were a fellowship and was on the search for Mason McGinnis, our first minister.
In all this time, I was never invited to the parsonage which is next door to our church. Well, I was invited to a lovely evening at the parsonage. And, here is a plug for his wife. She is a lovely person, intelligent, kind, quiet and supportive and a real asset to him and the congregation in her own quiet way. Rev. Dave very successfully walks the fine line of sharing personally while always remaining our minister. In short, he is not afraid to share!
Our church has hired talented staff to take care of business and a nurse to take care of health issues of the congregation, so I cannot really speak to his talent in these areas. He lets others do their jobs, it seems to me.
Any church would be lucky to have him as an interim minister. And I can extrapolate that any church looking to grow would be grateful to call Rev. Dave.
We are certainly lucky to have Rev. Dave here. He was just the ticket!
Dr. Al Finch (Vestry Board Chair, Charleston)
I am Al Finch, First Chair of the Vestry/Board of the Charleston Unitarian Church. I am writing to tell of my experiences with Rev. David Messer who is serving as our interim minister.
Last year as Vice Chair, I served on the committee that interviewed Rev. Dave when we were searching for an interim minister. Immediately we were struck by his energy, knowledge, and humor. We were delighted to select him.
Shortly after he joined us, my wife died unexpectedly. Rev. Dave made a point of visiting with my family and followed up with me later. I was impressed by his comforting words as he had not had the opportunity to get to know my wife or family.
When the pandemic first began, Rev. Dave was quick to lead the church into making plans for our move to virtual services and meetings. The ease with which he orchestrated this transition was truly amazing. It was almost seamless and has developed into a highly professional move. Meetings are productive and our services are of the highest quality.
In his role as interim minister, he has been excellent in evaluating where the church was and is helping us move in the direction we need to go in preparation for a settled minister. He has led the development of a new strategic plan and helped us put our thoughts into a tight plan with observable outcomes. His knowledge and leadership in this area has been exceptional.
In a church with a long history and tradition, there are frequently resistance to change. Rev. Dave has recognized this resistance and has helped us make changes while at the same time he has been sensitive to which issues are more trouble than they are worth to attempt to change at the time.
Also, I have been impressed with his well-developed sermons. They are well organized, thoughtful, and delivered professionally. He brings high energy and great knowledge to the pulpit. I have also attended several of his adult education classes. When he arrived our adult education, program was not well developed. Rev. Dave has initiated several programs in this area. I have attended some of his minister seminars and have regularly attended his Bible study class. They are all well developed and a great addition to our church life.
In conclusion, I have found Rev. Dave to be an exceptional interim minister. His high energy level, his experience, his knowledge, and his interpersonal skills combine into an exceptional package.
Mr. Ren Manning (Treasurer, Vestry Board Member, Charleston)
As David Messner begins on his search for the next episode in his life’s journey, I would like to convey my thoughts in hopes they may be helpful to anyone considering calling him to work with them.
I have served as Treasurer and a member of the Vestry of the Unitarian Church in Charleston during his engagement with our Church. Several months after the pandemic shuttered the doors of our Church, David responded with one innovative initiative after another, as though he had been through this before. He has amazing technological facility and programmatic imagination, such that our Church scarcely missed a beat as he transitioned his ministry and our congregational life to one Zoom event after another.
His energy seems to be unlimited – he offers numerous programs, book discussions, adult religious education classes, seminars and general discussion groups, too numerous for me to sample more than a few on an ongoing basis. All this has kept the congregation more engaged than even pre-pandemic, as new ways of connecting and efficiencies have been tapped. Besides focusing on short-term solutions and enhancements, he has long-distance vision for strategic planning and mission visioning that keeps us all looking ahead for ways everything will someday fall into place.
His business background has been invaluable as he builds organizational structures, accountabilities and teams to plan and perform the many tasks that are helping us build our Church. Not only are we holding our Sunday worship attendance stable, we have been able to welcome visitors and new members from beyond our geographic community. As a testament to the engagement of our members, our finances have also shown remarkable stability.
Besides his professional attributes and talents, David has been gifted with a joyous sense of humor, and is a delight to work with. It has been a joy and blessing to have had him serve as our Interim Minister.
Mr. William Epes (Congregant and Colleague in Training, Charleston)
I am writing as a congregant at Unitarian Church in Charleston on behalf of Rev. Dave Messner, our Interim Minister, as he enters search for his next position in UU ministry.
Hire him. Before another congregation does. The whys follow.
I met Rev. Dave early in his UC—CHS interim ministry (summer 2019), two years after my separation from the congregation following tradition and protocol for intern ministers. I served the church 2015-17 in an academic internship until my graduation from seminary in May 2017. So my first contact with Rev. Dave was to determine how to rejoin the church as a member, and how to keep good standing and relationship for a possible application as an applicant/aspirant to the MFC.
My most recent experiences with Rev. Dave have been in Zoomed Sunday worship and a special congregational meeting last month. In the past year, I have attended many of his invited events: Lunch with the Minister, Clergy Talks, and Saturday Seminars. In preparation for delivering my own donated sermon to the congregation, I worked several weeks with Rev. Dave, and he gifted me a copy of one of his favorite books on preaching.
I have also asked for pastoral support several times as I negotiated difficult, shifting life circumstances. (This afternoon we meet again by Zoom.) He has been wise and true.
Rev. Dave is a gifted preacher, minister, and counselor. He is clear, smart, and kind, a good listener, and intellectually remarkable, broadly and deeply educated. Rev. Dave is nimble, and has navigated the pandemic transition into a safe, virtual, viable church experience with grace and energy. He has also brought a regional and national UU presence with him to UC-CHS.
Theologically, Rev. Dave tapped more inviting God language to our congregation than its sanctuary would suggest routinely lives there. He supported new initiatives, including a lay-led Religious Naturalism Group, and a new LGBTQI circle, both welcome and needed.
He also brought a puppy with him to Charleston from Savannah, GA. So in addition to metaphors of cooking (a personal passion), he allowed us as congregants a glimpse of what it was to manage new, and challenging relationships. Loving relationships. A gift.
Always, Rev. Dave in my experience brings encouragement to engage, to bring hope, and to let go of the kinds of personal and congregational perfectionism and other red flags of past trauma that prevent individuals and groups from moving forward. His willingness to make mistakes in public – artfully, modeling that behavior for us—has to this congregant been liberatory. He has also helped the congregation revisit areas of hurt and harm suffered over some very difficult years, and to make room as interims must do for new possibilities, for a next settled minister.
I can only imagine based how his next congregation will thrive, whether in an interim, contract, or settled ministry.
Since rejoining Unitarian Church in Charleston, I have not served on any committees. So I have no insight into the present relationship of minister to the Vestry Board or any committees. As reported in that Congregational Meeting, financially and by membership, we are in remarkable shape. Rev. Dave’s hand in those successes can easily be inferred.
I would be pleased to follow up this letter with an email or phone call, if useful to those considering Rev. Dave’s application.
Thank you. Blessings on your congregation for peace, health, and flourishing.
Ms. Judy Bruce (Member and Congregational Leader, Charleston)
Reverend David Messner has asked that I write on behalf of his application for a ministerial position. I am pleased to do so. Rev Dave is in his second year of two as interim minister with the Unitarian Church in Charleston in downtown Charleston, with a membership of more than 300. My time here goes back 30 years. I have held numerous leadership roles, including board chair. Currently my activity is waning as my age increases. Prior to coming to Charleston I also held membership in three other UU churches.
I see Dave as intelligent, creative, innovative, and stable. He is technologically skilled helping us to stay connected and active in church events and activities in various ways to the extent that we each wish. He is a whiz with ZOOM and has supported and expanded our role on Facebook, a platform which has helped to increase our presence in the community and beyond. He is not shy about trying new ideas and programs and moves on in the face of failure. He is informed and well-read. He protects his own time without ‘shorting’ us. And he does not back away from discussions of money (canvass, new members). He is organized and clear and has a good sense of humor. He listens. He has developed mechanisms which provide ministerial support for our membership in various ways and is active in supporting our Caring Committee during these challenging times.
By all appearances and reports, Rev Dave has energized our staff in a manner which uses personnel and technology well, keeping them up to date, more efficient and happy. Our major volunteer leadership positions are morphing to the next generation and with Rev Dave’s support are leading us without conflict and discord. He played a leadership role as we remodeled our strategic plan.
In summary, I believe you will be very lucky to have Rev Dave as your settled minister. I wish we had that option. Please feel free to call me if you have further questions concerning Reverend Dave.
Dr. Lisa Ross (Member, Charleston)
I am a long-time member (21+ years) of The Unitarian Church in Charleston, where Rev. David H. Messner has served as our interim minister for the past 15 months. I am happy to contribute a note about the positive impact Rev. Dave has had on the congregation and how my life has been impacted during his short tenure here.
Let’s start a the “macro” level. Rev. Dave is a phenomenal storyteller and our services have been consistently delightful. When the pandemic forced us to shift to online services, he lost no time helping us stay connected and maintain a sense of community, and his “preachin” from the pulpit” transitioned to “preachin’ from the computer screen” remarkably well. On the Sunday when we celebrated the start of a new church year, he orchestrated a congregational “drive through” after the regular service. We were encouraged to drive past the church, masked and socially distanced, and if we felt comfortable we could order a blessing off the menu (something about God, or nature or ??????????). He sprinkled some water on us from afar and gave us a custom blessing, made to order. It was silly and fun on the one hand, and yet it was deeply moving and brought me to tears. There was community spirit that I sensed that day was beautiful and powerful.
Next, the “mezzo” level. I have also been blessed to attend his weekly congregational series about Buddhism. I sweetly refer to these events as exploring “ Buddhatarianism.” We don’t focus on mediation or practice, but rather on discussion of Buddhist writings and deep thoughts about everyday life. I know he also offers a Bible study… how nice to have so much attention paid to adult religious education.
Finally, the “micro” level. I requested a pastoral counseling session with him this past Spring. Without going into too much detail, I would like to share that he is a great listener and gave helpful feedback about my issues. Also, he offered to provide me feedback on a summer sermon I gave. I gladly took him up on this offer to hear from a master how I could improve my sermon. His comments were welcome and constructive. He is a thoughtful teacher and caring individual.
Any congregation would be lucky to interview Rev. Dave Messner, let alone have him as a Minister. In some ways I feel like I have fostered a puppy and now I don’t want to give him back so he can find a more permanent home.
Rabbi Henkin sells all of the congregation’s Hametz to Rev. Messner
