ravkboaz

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Everything posted by ravkboaz

  1. I agree that this is more of a sermon than a simple post. As for the book itself, I found it full of old and ideas and hard to follow at times.
  2. Moving to a large Victorian House. Last sign-on before the computer is packed.

  3. Albeit a little belated, "Happy Birthday."
  4. Interesting that someone over there is happy to be rid of us...
  5. Follow-up: The minister who requested sponsorship is also an attorney in Illinois. He agreed that the clerk didn't really have the right to withold the license, but did not want to hold the couple's wedding as a "hostage" in the legal process. The "hard copy" had been mailed, as usual, to the minister, but there was a "time crunch." The sponsorship letter was faxed to the minister, who then faxed it to the clerks. As a sponsor, I do not want to become an intermediary among ministers, clerks, and couples. My results of my call to the clerk's office was very unsatisfactory. The two functionaries with whom I spoke just gave to party line. The supposed reason for the letter rquirement was to make sure that the couple would be legally married. That is a silly thing to think because the name of the minister, for many reasons, could change before the ceremony is actually completed. If anyone should check legality, it should be the register of deeds with whom the completed license is filed. At this point, I am not sure that we need to mess with the marriage laws. Rev. Calli, a man whom I respect, said awhile back that sometimes it is better not to meddle with them too much: we might get something worse. (Aside: I ran into Rev. Calli not long ago and he was looking very well). Glad to see and attorney at the site. It is always tricky to guide people about such matters after giving the caveat, "I'm not a lawyer."
  6. I just wrote a very detailed reply about the latest from the Walworth County Clerk. It suddenly disappeared when I clicked to add it. I can't seem to retrieve it. Is it gone forever?
  7. I plan to do that. I wrote my original post over the weekend when the clerks office was closed. I will keep the forum updated.
  8. In the past nine days, I have received two calls regarding the Walworth County Clerk here in Wisconsin. She seems to be making her own laws when it comes to sponsorship of out-of-state ministers. In both cases, she failed to issue the license to the bride and groom because a letter of sponsorship for the minister was not submitted with their application. Background: The statute states that the minister must possess a letter of sponsorship at the time of the wedding. The sposorship must be from a resident of Wisconsin who is a minister of the same denomination. The statute says nothing about a couple having to present it with the marriage license application or with the completed certificate. The statute does not prescribe a form for the letter. It can be presumed that the letter might need to be presented at later date in case there was a question about a minister's credentials or his failure to complete the paperwork in a timely manner. (The couple would probably still be considered married under WI law even if the minister turned out to be a fraud, but the alleged minister would be in trouble). Case one: The couple applied for a license. When they went to pick it up, the clerk would not give it to them because the letter of sponsorship was not written on official church letterhead. The minister in this situation had to find another minister who had stationary and a fax machine. Even though it was the day before the wedding, the clerk insisted upon having the new sponsor fax a letter of sponsorship to her before the license was issued. Case two: Yesterday, a couple was not allowed to pick up a license from the Walworth County Clerk because a letter of sponsorship had not been faxed to her. The minister has received sponsorship, but has not received the hard copy (the legal one) of his letter. While not wishing any harm to the couple, the sponsoring body does not wish to submit to clerks who write their own laws. It will left to the minister performing the ceremony to decide whether or not to comply with the clerk's wishes, because there seems to be enough time prior to the ceremony. I would be interested to get comments or suggestions about the above situations. It bothers me when county clerks try to step beyond their boundaries.
  9. Although it would not be difficult to take the certificate to the courthouse in person, the members of our fledgling ministry prefer to send the completed marriage license/certificate by mail with a return receipt. A certificate delivered in person might get shuffled under a stack of papers and forgotten. The same might happen to a mailed certificate, but at least we have a receipt that the mail was sent to the clerk. My daughter, Rev. Cole, was recently married by a ULC minister. The completed certificate was mailed with the return receipt coming to the ministry. I believe that my daughter actually mailed her own certificate, but she was highly motivated to make sure that all the details were correct. However, the actual responsibility for the completed certificate rested with the officiating minister. Had my daughter not done things correctly, the other minister would have had to pay any penalties or damages.
  10. I agree with Kokigami. If you are performing the wedding as ordained clergy of the ULC, one of us Wisconsinites may be able to write a letter of sponorship. I have written some letters; I believe Kokigami has written more. It doesn't matter if your personal beliefs are different from mine because we both fall under the umbrella of the ULC in Modesto. If none of the clergy in your local church are residents of Wisconsin, going with the national church is probably your best bet. Hope this helps.
  11. May I add my own "Happy Birthdays" to those of Rev Ed.
  12. Rev. Lida Hensley was appreciated by far more people than she will ever know. My thoughts and prayers are with her family, friends, and employees. She will be missed.
  13. Thank you for the messages of congratulations. It really is a blessing to be part of this forum and the ULC.