Pastor Brian Eastman: Lead pastor at Revelation Spiritual Church, a church which welcomes people of all spiritual walks who want to become closer to the One Great God with Many Names and Faces.  He has celebrated weddings for folks of all belief patterns as well as agnostics, atheists, and those who are unengaged in the question. Believes a wedding ceremony should feel like a CELEBRATION with lots of enthusiasm and smiles. Is proud that he has never seen someone yawn during his wedding ceremonies! Likes to have the guests feel actively involved in the wedding ritual, so they will also feel a commitment to help the couple as they grow their marriage. For 20 years he toured on-stage, and he uses his performance skills to create a sense of love, celebration, and community throughout the wedding ceremony.  Also believes that a ceremony must create the magical space where two separate individuals bond to create a third entity: the married couple.
      Just recently Pastor Eastman received this compliment from a musician who had just finished playing the wedding: "Wow, your ceremony was AWESOME! I'm going to give your name to every bride who needs an officiant!"

Rev. Frieda Hughes: she has had minister training through Unity, but has been ordained into our church, Revelation Spiritual Church. Her charisma comes from a sense of peace and joy which just radiates from her. Great voice, too. She records books on tape.
  Rev. Frieda Hughes radiates a sense of joy and peace and love. Has a great voice - records books on tape for the blind. Very warm with a great sense of God-centeredness with a gentle humour woven in. She is great at listening to you, understanding what you want to see in your ceremony, and helping you get there.
  Rev. Frieda Hughes: she has had ministerial training through Unity, but has been ordained into our church, Revelation Spiritual Church. Her charisma comes from a sense of peace and joy which just radiates from her. Great voice, too. She reads and records for the blind.
     She does not take herself too seriously, yet is sincere and open-hearted. Strives to help the couple find a ceremony that will touch their hearts and reflect who they are as well as make their guests feel welcome and included.
    Rev. Hughes is comfortable working with people of any spiritual background as well as those professing agnosticism or atheism. Says she has been through all of those stages herself. She enjoys helping couples create a ceremony that celebrates who they are and reflects the character of the union they're entering into.

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Pastor Alex McEntire retired from the Air Force, met his (now) wife Jean and together they led a Baptist church. Later they were called to found an independent church which emphasizes God's love instead of selling fire insurance. You'll find Pastor McEntire relaxed, very warm and caring. Pretty funny too. He does a good job of helping you create a memorable ceremony.

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Fr. Marty Patton leads a diocese of The Old Catholic Church in North America, a separate organization from the Vatican since 1489. He is funny and sometimes a little "bigger than life." He is also somewhat more tightly tied to various Vatican-Catholic rules than our other priests. If you would like to include a full Mass as part of your celebration, he will be glad to help you make it happen.

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Minister Jeff Freeman  is a minister with a specific calling: he is passionate about helping couples get married in a way which both honors the commitment they are making and the joy they feel at being able to marry each other.  He is also an Elvis impersonator! In fact, at one wedding when the bride's CD with her Elvis Processional song broke mid-procession, Minister Freeman "sang her right in!" He is also very flexible in terms of what you want in a ceremony. He has a relaxed personality and it shows through in his ceremonies.

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Pastor Terry Carlisle is minister of the United Church of Christ in Springboro. Plut he is the director of a no-kill animal shelter and an army vet. Quiet-spoken with a nice sense of humor. Also has a counseling practice, so he is well-able to understand your situation and what you want in your wedding. Quite happy to wear suit-tie combination or suit-with-clerical-collar. Does not work from a book of regulations and restrictions, but rather works with you to help you create the ceremony you envision. Similarly he is glad to help create a ceremony suitable for folks of multiple faiths.

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Rev. John Jaffe has been ministering for nearly 30 years. He comes from both a Quaker and conservative Christian background and with his beard looks a little like Santa Claus. He likes to work with you in creating a special ceremony that feels perfect to your heart. Whatever ceremony you create, you can be assured he follows it to the letter. He also has the flexibility that, if something unexpected occurs he can adjust the ceremony with good humour as part of the mix.

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Rev. Karen Heaster used to create and lead the Contemporary services at a Unitarian church; she now serves as minister with Revelation Spiritual Church (which sponsors MarriageChaplain.com). She also creates and leads earth-based ceremonies here and in the eastern United States. She has a broad sense of humor and the ability to improvise on the spot if something unexpected happens. She is happy to help couples create a traditional ceremony, and with her background she can be of significant help to couples wanting to create an utterly "different" kind of wedding, or who have a special need for the ceremony to handle.

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Rev. Paul Ravenscraft appears quiet-spoken, yet has a great stage voice when he needs it. He has both performance and presentation skills by virtue of being a musician, teacher and trainer. He is also a Life Coach, so he is used to listening carefully when someone speaks of what they want, and then he is good at helping that person get what they want. In his ministry work, he has done presentations at such places as a local Unitarian church and a New Thought group (offshoot of Unity.) He is comfortable creating ceremonies with folks of all religious persuasions and those with no belief in a Divine Power.

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Rev. Gwynne Gabbard has taught Reiki healing processes for years and has recently added "Wedding Officiant" to her work. She provides Reiki healing at hospices, the Veterans Hospital and various healing events. She also is "Band Mom" to the Caledonian Pipes and Drums band.    She is grandmotherly-warm with the gift of blarney that all good Celts have. She serves as Chaplain of the Caledonian Society in Cincinnati.

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Reverend Parker - coming soon

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Reverend Hadden - coming soon

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Rev. Stephen Eyre assists churches nation-wide to create community-involvement programs, and also serves as teaching pastor for a Presbyterian church in Cincinnati. Pastor Eastman has heard him speak and reports than Eyre is a dynamic speaker. When you meet him in person you will find him tending to the quiet and thoughtful side. He is glad to help you create a ceremony which rings true to your personalities. Rev. Eyre categorizes his ceremonies as "Traditional, warm with smiles and room for spontaneity."

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Reverend Kelly - Rev. Kate Kelly is an interfaith minister ordained through One Spirit Alliance of NYC. She draws from the great wisdom traditions of 
the world in her ministry, and ministers to people according to their need. Her spiritual foundation includes Episcopalianism, Unity and A  Course in Miracles. Rev Kate is especially fond of helping couples 
design a wedding ceremony that speaks to their hearts and souls. As a life coach specializing in adult ADD, she is a good listener and problem solver who has a keen sense of humor and a relaxed attitude toward life.

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Pastor Steve Means Steve Means began his involvement in church leadership in the mid 80’s. In 1991, he began to attend The Vineyard Church and very quickly began to feel that this is where he would find his true calling. He participated with worship teams in Dallas and Cincinnati before being asked to come on staff with the Mason Vineyard in January, 1995. Steve 
has served as an associate pastor in various roles in the church since then, but his passion has always been for the worship music of the church. He has written, performed and recorded several original songs.

Steve loves the wedding ministry because he is still absolutely in love with his bride of over 41 years. Steve and his wife Jackie, have four children and seven grandchildren. They were 17 and 19 when they got 
married, Steve was in the Marines, and he says they have had all the struggles and problems that most couples experience. “Sometimes, when things get tough, it feels like you’re hanging on by the last thread. But believe me, love is always worth hanging on to.” As Steve often quotes from first Corinthians in his ceremonies, “faith, hope and love abide these three, but the greatest is love.”

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Rev. Dr. Larry Sansoucie: retired Congregational minister, now is a part-time pastoral associate at North Presbyterian Church (doing mostly fun stuff like preaching, visiting, teaching, hanging out, and playing his drums) and a part-time Spiritual Care counselor for Hospice of Cincinnati.  Pastor Eastman invited him to join MarriageChaplain.com after seeing the energy and light-heartedness he put into a sermon. He comes from a more-traditional church affiliation than many wedding Officiants. He may start from a more-traditional place, but he is very flexible in helping you get where you want to go. And can help you have fun while doing it!

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Fr. Chuck Smith is Franciscan but ages ago left Rome - before the scandals came out - when he tried to report a priest's depravity to his superior and was told to shut up because the priest brought in lots of money.
      Fr Chuck now serves Our Lady of Peace, a parish of the Ohio Orthodox Catholic Church, an inclusive organization which welcomes married, women and gay priests and monks, and offers communion to all in attendance, whether church members or not.
         He is warm, funny, and very welcoming. You will find him very accommodating when planning your ceremony, too: he will come to your location, he can perform a full mass wedding, non-mass Catholic or Orthodox, non-denominational ceremony, or even a non-religious ceremony.
  Perhaps the most common report we hear from brides who have met with him, is that Fr. Chuck is "so caring and understanding of who we are and what we want in the wedding."
    An example of his humour: he once opened a ceremony with "Linda and George have asked me to do a 2-hour ceremony. I told them I could, but that if everyone here turns off their cell phones, I would prefer to do just a 30-minute ceremony." He reports it was funny to see everyone frantically fishing out their cell phones!

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Rev. Anne Becker has spent many years in lay service for the Catholic church. But as her call to serve in a ministering capacity has grown, at the same time - as you know - the Roman Catholic church has become less welcoming. So she has been ordained by Revelation Spiritual Church (which sponsors MarriageChaplain.com). In addition to her wedding work, Rev. Becker serves as a healer for people who are experiencing personal or family difficulties. Rev Becker's approach to a marriage ceremony is simple: to help two people come together into a marriage in a way that feels good, will give them great memories, and that will create for them a community of loving support as they work to build a great marriage. You will find her easy to work with, and very adaptable and good-humoured.

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Reverend Broderick-Coming Soon

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Rev. T. Michael Hornecker: moved down here to be with his lady-love, from Detroit area where he was chaplain to Police, Fire Department and Motorcycle club. (He rides a Harley.) Viet Nam vet who suffered serious injury to one arm. Great sense of humour, and comes across perhaps a little larger-than-life. Likes a ceremony to feel relaxed and happy.

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Rev Keith Turner, sitting in church one Sunday in 1987, heard God tell him to stand up and tell everyone he had just been called to the ministry. "I didn't believe it, so I just sat there . . . until the voice in my head got even louder the second time!" he says. So he now pastors at a Baptist church as close to full-time as he can while supporting his calling and his family with a "day job".
         You will find him warm, gentle, and with a strong caring spirit. Pastor Eastman notes that, when he and Rev. Parks are talking, "there's a lot of laughing going on too."
         Rev. Parks says of himself, "I have never met a stranger who didn't become a friend."

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Rev. Peggy Barker, one of the ministers of Revelation Spiritual Church, has for more than 15 years served as wedding minister, healer, and lecturer on the Metaphysical Interpretation of the Bible. A hypnotherapist, she has also had training as a  Medium. She enjoys creating ceremonies even for nontraditional or "sensitive" situations.

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Fred A. Shaw’s background and deep spirituality enable him to be very open to your needs as you work together to develop a marriage celebration that is particularly meaningful to you and to your families and friends.  He offers several types of marriage ceremonies:  traditional Christian, traditional Shawnee Indian, or the opportunity to create a period-style wedding such as 1776-1814, Civil War, or Old West.  He dresses in the pastoral style and uses the original books of the period you select~as Old West Trail-Riding minister, as Neeake for Shawnee wedding, or as modern minister for your perfect wedding.

Fred, known as Neeake in Shawnee, is an ordained, retired United Methodist pastor having served the churches of the West Ohio Conference since 1969.  He is a noted expert in storytelling for his Shawnee culture, U.S. 18th & 19th Century history, American Indian spiritualities, first-person historical interpretation, conservation of endangered wildlife, and photography.  He presently co-chairs a ten-state group of American Indian leaders who work with the spiritual and physical needs of American Indian people in their area.  Fred is an instructor for the licensing program for American Indian pastors accredited by the Methodist Theological School, Delaware, OH. 

Fred and Nancy Eppley married in 1970.  They still hold hands.  Fred and Nancy have a son and a daughter, a granddaughter, and three grandsons.

Many congregations, spiritual life groups, historical venues, museums, universities, graduate schools, the National Trust for Historical Preservation, conservation groups, and zoos have given Fred high praise.  His favorite honor is from a first-grader, “I like you.  You’re nice!”

The usual response to a wedding ceremony conducted by Fred states that the couple felt beloved and safely directed in the process and the family and friends had never before experienced such a warm and personal ceremony.

For more information see:  www.sumac-enterprises.net

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