Sample Profiles

My name is Daniel Harper, and for more than 25 years I’ve been married to my wonderful wife, Maria. We’re blessed with three children and two little grandsons who call me “Papa.” Our family loves to decorate early, gather for Christmas movie nights, and open our home to neighbors during the holiday season.

Last year, I had the incredible privilege of officiating the wedding of my son, Ethan, and his bride, Rachel, right in the glow of Christmas lights. They had planned a destination wedding in the Rockies, but a snowstorm canceled flights and closed the mountain lodge. With just hours to pivot, we ended up gathering in a small chapel lit with candles and evergreens. What could have been a disaster turned into one of the most Spirit-filled weddings I’ve ever seen. It reminded me of the first Christmas—when God’s greatest gift came in the humblest setting.

Professionally, I’ve worked in event design most of my life, creating spaces that bring people together. But my deeper calling has always been ministry—walking alongside people in their most meaningful moments. During the holidays especially, I’ve seen how joy and grief often walk hand in hand. One person may be celebrating new beginnings, while another is silently mourning a loss.

That’s why I pursued the Christmas Chaplain Ordination Program through the Christian Leaders Alliance. It gave me both training and credibility to step into those sacred spaces—whether at a Christmas concert, a nursing home visit, a holiday wedding, or even a hospital waiting room—and bring Christ-centered comfort and hope.

Maria likes to say I’m a builder at heart, but now I build something different. Instead of only designing venues, I help create moments where God’s presence becomes real. As a Christmas Chaplain, I’ve seen weary souls lifted through prayer, grieving families comforted by Scripture, and couples blessed as they begin a new life together during the holiday season.

Ephesians 4:12 reminds us that ministry is about “equipping the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ” (WEB). That’s what this calling is for me—a chance to serve, equip, and build, all while shining the light of Jesus during one of the most tender and hope-filled times of the year.

I dream of seeing more Christmas Chaplains rise up—ordinary believers with extraordinary faith—bringing prayer, presence, and peace wherever the holiday season opens a door.

My name is Marisa, and I was born and raised in Cape Town, South Africa. Being the youngest of five children in a very traditional church, I was taught to fear God but not to know Him personally. My childhood was far from stable. Alcohol crept into our home and turned respect into chaos, and at a very early age I also endured the trauma of sexual abuse.

That abuse left scars that shaped how I saw myself and how I lived. As I grew older, I craved love and identity in all the wrong places. When I married young, I carried my wounds into our marriage. What began as secrecy turned into leading my husband into a lifestyle of sexual swinging. At the time, we both thought it was freedom, but in reality, it was bondage. We were trapped in sin, ashamed, and didn’t know how to stop.

But God has a way of breaking into the darkest places. One of the couples we met in that broken lifestyle encountered Jesus and left the swinging scene completely. They reached out to us—not with condemnation but with compassion—and slowly began to share the gospel. For the first time, I began to believe that God didn’t just want to punish me—He wanted to heal me. My husband and I gave our lives to Christ, and everything began to change.

The transformation was not instant, but it was real. God began to untangle the lies I believed about love, sex, and identity. He healed our marriage, removed our destructive appetites, and replaced them with joy, forgiveness, and hope. We went from being lost in lust to being renewed in love—true, covenant love as God designed it.

Over the years, we have walked through more valleys—losing children, battling illnesses, and even my husband’s eventual death. There were seasons when grief nearly crushed me, and I even turned my back on God for a time. Yet He never abandoned me. In His mercy, He called me back, restored my faith, and gave me visions of the future He still had for me.

Today, I know that God has called me to proclaim His love to others who feel trapped by sin or crushed by trauma. He has healed my shame and transformed my pain into compassion for others—especially women who have endured abuse, brokenness, or destructive relationships.

Discovering the Christian Leaders Institute has been a lifeline. Training as a Licensed Christian Wedding Officiantand now preparing as a Christmas Chaplain has given me the tools and recognition I need to step into ministry with confidence. The Christmas season, especially, is a time when many people wrestle with loneliness, grief, and hidden pain. I feel called to be a light in that darkness—offering prayer, presence, and the hope of Christ.

This journey has taught me one profound truth: Jesus really does redeem all things. From the ashes of abuse, sin, and loss, He can raise up a testimony of grace. My calling as a Christmas Chaplain is to stand in that truth and to share it freely with those who need it most.

My name is Emily Carver, and a few years ago my cousin asked me to officiate her wedding. At first, I tried one of those quick “ordination” websites, but it left me unsettled. They didn’t know me, my faith, or my calling. Something that sacred deserved more than a click of a button.

So I began searching and found the Christian Leaders Institute and Christian Leaders Alliance. That was the turning point. Receiving my clergy license as a Christian Wedding Officiant gave me not only recognition but also peace of mind—I was ordained through a ministry that valued calling, character, and training.

Where will this journey lead? I’m not entirely sure yet. Only time and prayer will tell. But I do know that God has been preparing me for this next step.

I gave my life to Christ in 1994 when I was just 19 years old, and everything changed. Since then, I’ve walked through seasons of both strong involvement in church and quieter stretches of sitting in the pew. In each season, God kept tugging at my heart.

Over the years, I’ve served in many ways:

• Teaching children’s Sunday School
• Helping with youth events
• Running the projection system
• Singing in the Christmas choir
• Volunteering with grief support groups

Now, I find myself drawn into something new—the role of Christmas Chaplain. This credential is more than a title. It’s an opportunity to step into the holiday season—when hearts are open, yet often hurting—and bring Christ’s comfort and joy.

Whether leading a candlelight service, visiting a nursing home, praying with a grieving family, or blessing a holiday wedding, the Christmas Chaplain role feels like a continuation of what God has been shaping in me for decades.

My prayer is that this calling will not only deepen my walk with Christ but also create spaces where others experience the true hope of Christmas—Jesus, the light of the world.

My name is Jonathan Reyes, and I grew up as an only child in the heart of Chicago. For much of my early life, I chased what I thought was “fun”—late nights, parties, and running with the wrong crowds. But when my parents separated, everything collapsed. I found myself broken, lost, and sitting alone on a cold December night, wondering if life had any purpose.

That evening, I whispered a desperate prayer: “God, if You are real, show me who You are.” And He did. A family member invited my mom and me to a small storefront church, and there I felt—for the first time—the presence of God. What began as an invitation turned into a lifelong transformation. God took away my addictions and gave me a hunger for His Word.

Over the years, He blessed me with my amazing wife, Marisol, and together we’ve been leading youth ministry and supporting couples in our church’s marriage ministry. I also work full-time in legal services, but ministry has always been at the center of our lives.

When a close friend asked me to officiate their Christmas wedding, I searched for ordination that was credible and Christ-centered. That’s when I discovered the Christian Leaders Institute and the Christian Leaders Alliance. Becoming a Licensed Wedding Officiant and now stepping into the role of Christmas Chaplain has opened new doors for ministry.

As a Christmas Chaplain, I’m called to serve during one of the most meaningful yet challenging seasons of the year. Whether it’s leading a candlelight service, praying with a grieving family, or blessing a couple at a holiday wedding, I see God using my story to bring hope and healing.

If you’re reading this, know that God is real—and He has a plan for your life greater than anything you can imagine. The Christmas Chaplain program has equipped me to step into those sacred holiday moments with confidence, presence, and the good news of Jesus Christ.

My name is Elena Morales, and I live in the vibrant city of San Antonio, Texas, where I was born and raised.

I was blessed to grow up in a strong Christian family. My parents modeled faith and servant leadership from my earliest days. I still remember being just six years old, standing at the front of my church in a white Christmas dress, inviting Jesus into my heart. That moment marked the beginning of a lifelong journey of service.

As a child, I helped in Sunday School, later served in youth ministry, and eventually took on many different roles in church leadership. Serving God’s people has always been part of my heartbeat.

At 19, I married my best friend, Daniel, and together we raised our son, Lucas, while serving faithfully in our local church. After nearly three decades of marriage, I experienced the heartbreak of divorce. For a time, I wondered if joy could ever be restored. But God, in His mercy, brought healing and new beginnings. A few years later, I met Gabriel, a widower whose first wife had passed away from cancer. Our shared faith drew us together, and today we serve side by side in ministry.

One of our greatest joys is leading the Couples Ministry at our church. We facilitate premarital classes, mentor married couples, and love seeing families strengthened by God’s Word. Watching Lucas and his wife, Sofia, serve as youth leaders—and delighting in our granddaughter, Lily—reminds me of God’s generational faithfulness.

Discovering the Christian Leaders Institute was truly an answer to prayer. With the flexibility CLI offers, I can grow as a minister while balancing family, business, and ministry. Stepping into the role of a Christmas Chaplain feels like the next natural step—bringing Christ’s presence to families, couples, and individuals during the most tender and hope-filled season of the year.

I’m grateful for the calling to shine the light of Jesus at Christmas and beyond.