Rev. Ronnie Roll

DID YOU KNOW?

Wedding Rehearsal

There's a lot more that goes into who marries you than you may think. The words you speak are not only vows you make from your heart, but also a legally binding verbal contract, so there are elements that need to be included in order for your marriage to be considered legally valid. This is something taught in seminaries and not on websites that 'ordain instantly.'
Seminaries also teach ministers how to orchestrate rehearsals; create heartfelt, meaningful ceremonies; offer spiritual counseling, and how to support people all along their life's journey.

About Me

The Short Story.

Joseph Campbell said it best when he said "Sometimes your mess becomes your message." That has been true for me. A pretty dysfunctional childhood led me to seek out ways to assure that the negative role models I'd had in my life before the age of 17 would not negatively influence my own relationships in the future. At the tender age of 17 I began my quest to learn how to have healthy, happy relationships, starting with enrolling in a parenting class and taking as many psychology and family social science courses as I could. I also started interviewing every happily married couple who had been married for 25 years or more, asking what they attribute their success to, and having been keeping track of their answers since I was a teen.

Over the years I've faced down many of the demons from my childhood, and overcame the odds I faced as a single parent/adult child of an alcoholic, and having lived through several types of abuse both in childhood and early adulthood. I broke free from the patterns that kept me from having loving relationships of my own, and in doing so, showed my children how to have them in their own lives. It has been a lifelong journey, both on a formal and informal level to understand what makes us tick and what gets in the way of us having those lifelong healthy, happy and hot relationships we all dream of having.

This continues to be my passion and driving force for working with people to understand what true love, commitment and bonding can and should look and feel like, and how to sustain it for many years to come.

Oh yeah. Then there's the whole lightning strike thing. Keep reading for that story.

Qualifications/
Education

Member of A World Alliance of Interfaith Clergy and former Board of Directors member

Co-President of the Chippewa Valley Wedding and
Event Professionals

Photo courtesy of www.katebentleyphoto.com

Interfaith Minister - The New Seminary is the oldest interfaith seminary in the world that also holds an NGO advisory role with the United Nations. It's located in New York City, New York. After completing a two year program in which I studied many of the world's religions and beliefs, I was ordained as an interfaith minister at the Riverside Church in New York City during a 3.5 hour ceremony that included receiving the seal of blessed oil giving me authority to offer spiritual blessings. As a result, I am able to perform ceremonies in almost all faith traditions, states and countries. I am also legally registered to perform ceremonies in the five boroughs of New York City and in the state of Minnesota. Many states do not require formal registration and I can perform ceremonies there as well. I am affiliated with the New Seminary Interfaith Temple in New York City. You can view my credentials below (in my maiden name), demonstrating I have completed seminary, and am now assigned to a ministerial staff. I operate a traveling ministry on that staff, meaning I go wherever my clients request while I live in Wisconsin. That can take me to many parts of the country, both outdoors and in.

Bachelor of Arts - Metropolitan State University, St. Paul, Minnesota. Bachelor of Individualized Studies (focus in Spiritual & Emotional Development) with minors in Religious Studies and Adult Training & Development.

Graduate Level Certification in Conflict Resolution Studies - Hamline University School of Law - St. Paul, Minnesota. I have been listed as a Qualified Neutral Under Rule 114 of the Minnesota General Rules of Practice in both civil and family categories, meaning I can facilitate mediations and arbitrations. I interned under Dan Simon of Twin Cities Mediation.

Graduate Level Certification in Diversity, Equity & Inclusion - Cornell University, Ithaca, New York. As families become more diverse, becoming educated in how to integrate traditions and help families come together became important to me. I bring this knowledge in everything I do.

Continuing Education. I often take seminars hosted by The Gottman Institute, the #1 relationship institute in the world. I also believe in continuing my knowledge base by reading a LOT on the science of healthy relationships, so that I can share that wisdom with my clients and help them to live their dream relationships too.

I also have taken courses from Dr. Gary Chapman regarding the Five Love Languages. I took my first seminar with him some 15 years ago, and continue to take them from time to time. Some theories are timeless.

Experience

Prior to my receiving my calling, I owned and operated several different types of businesses for myself and others. One of them was a sales trainer/motivational speaking business in which I taught sales teams my trademarked techniques and became a published author. I also have worked in multiple fields of law, real estate management and multiple types of sales.
Since my ordination in 2010, I have created and performed hundreds of ceremonies from baptisms to weddings, vow renewals and end of life services. I have substituted for other ministers who are on vacation, or filled in when churches are looking for an interim minister while moving through the hiring process.
During Covid I created a Facebook group called Wisconsin Couples - Pandemic Advice that helped couples navigate through the wedding planning process and provided updated information about quickly-changing health and legal requirements. It also provided live interviews with vendors to answer questions and a psychologist who addressed the extreme stress brides were facing while trying to plan a wedding when governmental restrictions were forcing them to downsize or reschedule their weddings altogether.
I am also Co-President of the Chippewa Valley Wedding & Event Professionals and have been since 2022. My goal is to help guide this organization to a place where we are recognized as the place to go to find true professionals who offer quality services to those who are looking for help planning/carrying out weddings and other events.

Personal

I received my calling in 1999 when I was literally struck by lightning while standing inside my house on morning. What followed was a series of visions over several weeks that showed me I was to become ordained, and laid out my future life. Doors that had been easily opened for me began to shut closed as the visions unfolded. Taking a leap of faith I began to follow those visions and the guidance they offer, still to this day. For me this path is not a way to earn money on the side, or something to do because it's 'fun' (although I love what I do!). It truly is a calling in which I believe I serve a higher purpose than I ever could have imagined. My calling is all about bringing more love into the world, whether that be working with individuals to connect with it; celebrate it; reconnect with their loved one; or bring it into the workplace where it manifests as respect, deeper connectivity with clients, vendors, staff and in skills that ultimately increase motivation and profits as employees and management create healthier, happier home lives that are reflected at work.

I am married, have two grown sons of whom I'm very proud, and a grandmother of three. Both of my sons also choose to serve others; one in the Air Force and the other in a hospital. I also have three furry children that will never leave home; two are mighty hunters and the other radiates all the unconditional love her little body can hold. My husband and I enjoy entertaining, cooking, dogs, movies, music, travel and the arts. Together we also own Basswood Chalet & Guesthouse, a micro wedding venue and couples getaway in New Auburn, Wisconsin.

Spiritual Credentials

As we all know, not all credentials are created equally. Mine were earned through a brick and mortar seminary after which I was ordained in a 3.5 hour physical ceremony that included the laying on of hands and seal of oil from multiple leaders in different religious traditions. This is what gives me the spiritual authority to bless marriages, perform ceremonies in different religious traditions and have them accepted both in many spiritual traditions as well as being legally valid in all 50 states and foreign countries.