A wedding ceremony brings together many cultural influences, family dynamics, and emotional expectations, as well as logistical challenges. A Celebrant who intends to be helpful to a couple and their families and community as they prepare for this event, and to conduct a meaningful, personal, dignified and joyful ceremony, should be able to offer three things: a non-anxious presence, a set of useful resources, and a theoretical understanding of the process and their role.
This course introduces Humanist Celebrants to the process of working with couples in order to plan a wedding ceremony from a Humanist perspective. This course will inform you how to get endorsed and build necessary skills, but it will not endorse or certify you. You will need to complete the endorsement process with The Humanist Society if you wish to become a humanist celebrant.
by Rev. Kendyl Gibbons
The Reverend Dr. Kendyl Gibbons, Senior Minister is the 23rd settled minister at All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church. She is a lifelong Unitarian Universalist, a recognized leader in our continental Association, and past president of the Unitarian Universalist Ministers Association. Kendyl is a 1976 graduate of the College of William and Mary, with BAs in Religion and Sociology. She holds a Master’s degree from the University of Chicago Divinity School, and a Doctorate of Ministry from our UU seminary, Meadville/Lombard Theological School. Kendyl served as the minister of the DuPage Unitarian Universalist Church in Naperville, Illinois for fifteen years before being called to the First Unitarian Society of Minneapolis in 1998. In 2012 she was called as the senior minister at All Souls here in Kansas City.
