Why People Become Ordained

Here are some stories about why people became ordained through the Universal Life Church and have trained through our online seminary. They readily share their stories and knowledge to help you add to yours.

Monday, February 28, 2011

Why I Became Ordained

Hello Everybody,
I read a book called The Underground Economy (about self employment), and one of the chapters mentioned the Universal Life Church . Because this book was published in 2005, it printed the former web site. Nevertheless, upon checking Google, I read the note under the different web sites and clicked onto the seminary site. Later, I joined. At this point, I'm not trying to perform weddings, baptisms, funerals, etc. However, I do find the web sites for ulc to be interesting reading.

I was raised Roman Catholic, but my parents also allowed me to attend a Lutheran bible school. The Lutherans didn't mind that I was Catholic, but the RC church didn't like my going to one of those "Protestant" churches! By the itme I was a teenager, I disagreed with several of the beliefs of the RC Church and looked into different Christian churches, Jewish synagogues, and Buddist temples. 

At that time, I felt drawn to the Episcopal Church and in my 20s, I was received into the Anglican Communion. By the 1990s, different events happened in my life that I won't go into here, but I stopped going to church. Then, in 1998, I was researching a possible article (I am a part time writer.) to write about the 150th anniversary of the first women's-rights convention (1848) in Seneca Falls , NY . During my research, I noticed that out of a committee of five women, four of them were Quakers (the fifth, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, was Presbyterian). 

At this point, I wondered why so many Quaker women got involved in the women's rights movement?

Then as I researched about the Quakers, it opened my eyes, and in the end, I never did finish that women's rights article as I got sidetracked by my interest in the Religious Society of Friends. I started attending the local Friends meeting house in 2000, and I've been attending since. There are many web sites about the Quakers on Google and other search engines, so, I won't give you a full history or about the beliefs of Friends. Nevertheless, the branch of Friends that I attend, Friends General Conference (FGC), has no formal ministry. They feel that everybody is performing his or her share of ministry during the silent meeting either by keeping silent and opening their thoughts to the Divine, or by feeling inspired to speak briefly during the first-day meeting. Everybody is equal with Friends. Although the Quakers started as a Christian religion, nowadays, FGC accepts many beleifs from different religions, just like ULC. I found some similar parallels between the Religious Society of Friends and the ULC, and that's why I became ordained.

Dorothy Kurtz

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The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, Wicca, Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more. I have been a proud member of the ULC for many years and the Seminary since its inception.

The Universal Life Church offers handfasting ceremonies, funeral ceremonies and free minister training
 
 
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Thursday, February 17, 2011

Online Ordination

I am currently looking for work in both the Christian world and the secular world. I am hoping and praying that God will lead me to where He wants me to be.

I have felt a calling to minister since I was a child but for some reason things always were in the way or seemed more important at the time. I was raised in the United Methodist church and was away from church until a few years ago when I met my wife and started going to church with her. She was attending a non-denominational church and that is where I learned the most about God and His Word.  I once again started feeling the Calling again and I started looking into man's procedure for ordination.  I believe that God is the only one that can truly ordain but man's laws need to be respected as long as they are not in conflict with God's laws.

I am currently taking a Christian Seminary course through ULC and I am looking into other courses as well. I want to learn all that God has to offer and receive it. 

Pastor Todd
ULC

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Ordination with the Universal Life Church, is free  and lasts for life, so use the button.

As a long time member of ULC, Rev. Long created the seminary site to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials. Many have been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning and can attest to its ongoing growth and change.


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Thursday, February 10, 2011

Online Ordination

Believe it or not...... my day starts at 630 am, Take my boyfriend to work and the little one to school then I come back home and take my catchupfromsleeplessnight nap, This morning during that nap I had a vision of me performing my cousin's wedding ceremony, I used to play an online MMORPG and was a guide in that game and as a guide I would perform various wedding ceremonies.

I had the dream and it was so vivid and it even went further then the wedding ceremony, it went into the hospital here where my other cousin is recovering from a massive brain injury and I have been going to the hospital every other day to visit with him. He doesn't know who I am or anything but knows I am there and will play ball with me and talk with me and count... My god did you all know when you get a brain injury sometimes all you do is count? Anyways... back to my story.. In this dream I was helping small children and other people suffering from various elements... The dream seem to last months, I woke up physically exhausted and yet revived.... I did a google search on Ordain and landed here....

I know I am fresh meat to the lambs but this dream really kicked my midlife crisis into high gear.
I am in between jobs right now and while I was posting my resume to various places it dawned on me to get information and for whatever reason I did and here I am..... where I am going..... No clue. I am sure it will be an enlightening road of many events though!! 

 Paladin
ULC 

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The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, Wicca, Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more. 

Ordination with the Universal Life Church, is free,  and lasts for life, so use the Free Online Ordination, button.We also offer many free wedding ceremonies for your use.

 
The  ULC, run by Rev. Long, has created a chaplaincy program to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials.  I've been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary.  
 
Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar

Saturday, February 05, 2011

Ordination

I was raised in a liberal protestant household. My mother grew up in the Pentecostal Holiness church and often spoke of the rampant hypocrisy that she saw there. Mom goes to church for the music...doctrine means nothing to her. "Be a good person" is the only catechism she needs.

My father was raised in the same church in which I was baptized. He has done his share of praying and contemplation and is at peace with his relationship with God.. Occasionally he and I will have wonderful, sharing conversations on the subject, but he is not the sort to share his beliefs in public.

I was an enthusiastic student in Sunday school and bible study. I was even "born again" at church camp. That is, until I was scolded for suggesting that the Apostle Paul might have been speaking from within his cultural paradigm when he discussed the role of women in the church. I knew then that I would have to continue on my own path.

I became, and continue to be, a student of religion and religious history. Long ago, I realized that I was more familiar with the history of western religious traditions and of the Bible than most of the "Preachers" I encountered. I developed an urgent need to teach...to free people from the ignorance in which many organized religions want to trap them.

I have always been the "Dear Abby" in my circle of friends. I guess that, somehow, I was just naturally empathetic.

I want to teach....I want to serve.. I want to comfort.

I heard about internet ordination, but the first place I found was the Church of Spiritual Humanism. I read their forums, I thought it was right for me, and I became ordained in that church. It was not for several years that I stumbled into a forum where I was berated and belittled and generally treated ill...all because I confessed a belief in the Divine. It turns out they are Orthodox Atheists and have NO tolerance for hopeful agnostics or other 'superstitious' folk. This was stated, very obtusely, in their materials, but I just didn't get it before then. I have since resigned my ordination with them.

I continued my search and, at the urging of a Wiccan friend, I came to ULC. I now feel that I have found my "church home" where I can learn and grow and share.

I have performed several weddings (gay & straight) and one baptism.


Yup...that covers it.

Rev. Kate

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The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, Wicca, Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more. 

Ordination with the Universal Life Church, is free,  and lasts for life, so use the Free Online Ordination, button.We also offer many free wedding ceremonies for your use.

 
The  ULC, run by Rev. Long, has created a chaplaincy program to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials.  I've been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary.  
 
Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar

Tuesday, February 01, 2011

Why I became ordained

Well, this is the 8th year anniversary in ULC for me. I came here because of the different paths that were celebrated here.  I became ordained here because I knew ministry is one of my life missions.  I am also a board certified holistic health practitioner, certified expressive art therapist, am earning a ph.d in holistic ministries from American Institute of holistic theology, and I earned a doctor of divinity from universal light church.

I completed the soul clinic class offered by ULC -- very good. I am a certified pastoral counselor, and board certified chaplain through the international pastoral counselors association.  My ministry is growing, as am I.  I held a beautiful service in my home where 12 of my closest friends showed up"the journey of our nativity" a metaphysical story of the nativity.  I participate in many beliefs. I volunteer w/young gay youth. 

I live w/ fibromyalgia daily and am writing for the fibromyalgia frontiers a quarterly news journal. I am a known art therapist and writer, look under Kurt Fondriest art therapist. so all this brought me here.  All this came from me being here. The journey is still going....

Peace,
Rev. Kurt

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The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, Wicca, Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more. 

Ordination with the Universal Life Church, is free,  and lasts for life, so use the Free Online Ordination, button.We also offer many free wedding ceremonies for your use.

 
The  ULC, run by Rev. Long, has created a chaplaincy program to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials.  I've been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary.  
 
Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar