Meet Your Officiant

Paul G. Knauer, BSc, BEd, MA, MDiv.   

Paul is honoured that you are considering Sonshine Weddings and allowing him the opportunity to officiate at your wedding ceremony.  He is very approachable, and sensitive to your needs, both as an individual, and as a couple.  Together with you will find that Paul’s casual and relaxed approach will work with you to make your wedding ceremony personal, unique, light-hearted, memorable and a touching affair that will be a defining moment in your love and marriage.

Paul was born in Papua New Guinea to career missionary parents, Hans and Friedle Knauer, who are German immigrants to Canada and having retired are residing in Elmira, Ontario.

After graduating from the University of Western Ontario with a Bachelor of Science (1980) and a Bachelor of Education (1981) Paul began a successful 15 year teaching career in both private and public schools.  With ambitions toward educational administration, he completed a Master of Arts degree in Educational Administration (1989) from Grace Schools, Warsaw, Indiana.  As Paul continued to mentor and prepare his students for further education, the greater his heart was drawn toward instructing, mentoring and counseling others in their emotional and spiritual wellbeing.  Paul took a sabbatical from his teaching career to complete his Master of Divinity (1996) degree from Ontario Theological Seminary (now Tyndale University and College) Toronto.

Paul currently serves as Chaplain providing emotional and nondenominational spiritual support for over 240 elderly residents at the Dearness Home, a municipal managed Long Term Care Home in London, Ontario.  For the past 7 years he has taken a strong leadership role in Spiritual and Palliative Care services, assessments, training workshops and educational seminars.  He is a member of numerous professional associations including the Long Term Care Spiritual Care Providers Network Committee (London), London and Regional Palliative Care Committee, Ontario Teachers Association (OTA), Ontario Chaplaincy Association (OCA), and the Ontario Association of Counsellors, Consultants, Psychometrics, and Psychologists (OACCPP). 

Paul is a nondenominational minister credentialed and associated with the Liebenzell Mission of Canada (LMC), an internationally known non-denominational charitable faith organization whose goal is to bring the love of God through Jesus Christ to all people.  This is accomplished in a variety of ways:  evangelism/ Church planting, Bible translation, radio broadcasting, educational and theological training, women’s and children ministries, community and agricultural developments, medical work and public health efforts, urban ethnic ministries and spiritual care in nursing and retirement homes.  For further information on LMC check out www.liebenzell.ca

Paul is frequently requested to officiate at weddings, renewal of vows ceremonies, baptisms, parent-child dedications, funerals, and memorial services. 

Paul is married 25 years to Claire, and with their two boys, Michael (22) and David (17) live in the village of Komoka, just west of London, Ontario. As a family they attend the nondenominational Community Bible Church just north of London.  Website:  www.comunitybible.ca

As Paul meets all kinds of people struggling with various health, family or personal issues, he likes to remind them that they do matter to God, no matter how far they have fallen or distanced themselves from God.  That the spiritual life is not just a way to prepare to die but a better way to live with meaning and purpose, even though life can be very demanding and challenging along the way.  Paul likes to encourage individuals to think along three basic lines of thought [1] that God is a personal God, and cares about you and your life; he wants a relationship with you, in which He knows you and you know Him; [2] that God is in control, and the things that are out of your control are not out of His control; [3] that you cannot control the things that happen to you, but with God’s guidance and power, you can control your response.

 Paul’s heart-felt desire for you individually and as a couple is to live peaceful, happy and fulfilled lives in your community through personal growth in faith, love and hope.

Helping Couples Personalize Their Own Wedding Ceremony

Serving The South Western Ontario Area

~Your Wedding~

 A Defining Moment Of Love And Marriage

Paul G. Knauer   BSc, BED.MA, MDiv

Wedding Officiant

Sonshineweddings.ca