Minister Wendell Harris, Founder
Humanist Ministries was founded and incorporated in July 1999 by Minister Wendell J. Harris, Sr. Minister Harris sought to operate, assist, carry on and maintain charitable, educational and social service activities, with special emphasis on spiritual growth through the development of humanist values in everyday life.
Minister Harris holds a Masters of Science Degree from Springfield College and is currently the only certified and qualified Humanist Minister in the State of Wisconsin.
Society of Friends Certification
The Humanist Society of Friends of the American Humanist Association certified Mr. Harris as an ordained minister in late 1994. In April 2000, Minister Harris received the following letter from the Humanist Society of Friends:
To Whom It May Concern:
The Humanist Society of Friends, a non-profit corporation of the American Humanist Association, was incorporated as a religious organization in California in 1939. Its Division of Humanist Certification certifies Humanist Chaplains through a process equivalent to that of ordination in a traditional religious body.
Certified Humanist Chaplains are the same before the law as priests, rabbis and other clergy and, for all practical purposes, the Humanist Society of Friends may be considered the “religious denomination" that “ordained" them.
Humanist Chaplains are recognized as legal officiants at weddings and, as official representatives of the Humanist Society of Friends, are authorized to conduct memorials and perform other ceremonial functions.
The Humanist Society of Friends certified Wendell Harris as a Humanist Minister on Nov. 14, 1994. As such, he is to be afforded the recognition, respect and legal rights and responsibilities enjoyed by clergy of traditional faiths. His current certification is valid through December 31, 2005.
Respectfully,
Tony Hillman, Executive Director
Strategic Plan
Mr. Harris recently addressed the stakeholders of Humanist Ministries, Inc., and outlined his vision for the corporation. Minister Harris disclosed a strategic plan that took four months of very hard work by the Board of Directors and staff of Humanist Ministries to develop. During that period, they conducted one-on-one interviews, focus groups and staff meetings. They then labored over the research and statistical data gathered. He further acknowledged the hard work generated by the organization’s Strategic Planning Committee, charged by the Board of Directors, to conduct a plan of action based on the data’s conclusions.
From that data, the Strategic Planning Committee produced a plan of action in which Minister Harris later asserted:
"Our discussion has always centered upon one critical focus: how to best minister to the needs of the people who allow Humanist Ministries to be part of their lives.
We have evaluated our strengths and weaknesses and have learned from that experience. As a result, over the next three years our plan will focus on four areas: Firstly, the development of AODA services for ex-offenders returning to the community. Secondly, expansion of traditional religious services, weddings, commitment services, funeral services, and religious counseling services. Thirdly, Reuben’s Academy, our child care service, will continue to provide child care in a learning environment that is safe, nurturing, and stimulating so as to encourage the child’s intellectual, physical and emotional development. Fourthly, Humanist Ministries will further implementation of "Ambassadors for Peace" -- a community campaign and youth-oriented peace education initiative to reduce youth violence.
“In these and other efforts, we will remain committed to the Humanist principle that states: creative ability and personal responsibilities are strongest when the mind is free from supernatural beliefs and operates in an atmosphere of freedom and democracy.”
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