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When Shawn Walker isn't running Mohave Electric Cooperative's auto shop, he's known around the office for lending a helping hand whenever he can.
That also includes becoming an ordained minister to officiate two co-workers' Christmas Day wedding. When the auto shop supervisor heard his longtime friends Shelby and Andrea Sinclair wanted to get married that day, he stepped up to the plate.
“I had no idea that he would actually do that, but afterwards I said, 'That's a totally Shawn thing to do,'" said Andrea Sinclair, an executive assistant at the Bullhead City, Arizona, co-op.
“He is so absolutely selfless and considerate and always wants to do nice things for other people."
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Walker, a 14-year co-op employee, floated the idea a few months before the wedding, when the couple revealed their plans.
“I told them that might be a tough one, finding someone to do it on Christmas Day, and it would be pretty spendy," he said.
But then Walker thought back to his own wedding, in which his uncle performed the ceremony. “I thought, 'Well, heck, I could do it,'" he said.
The entire application process was quicker than, well, an oil change.
“I looked online for a ministry website, found one, filled out the application and paid the fee," Walker said. “In four days, they sent a certificate."
“The whole thing was pretty crazy," added Shelby Sinclair, a Mohave EC lineworker for 22 years. “I got a text from him showing his certificate. I said, 'Look at this, Andrea!'"
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According to the website for American Marriage Ministries, the nonprofit nondenominational church that granted Walker his license, successful applicants can perform weddings in most states and must comply with “local minister regulations."
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“They also give you a booklet with prayers and a little dry erase marker board so you can write yourself notes to make sure you don't forget anything," Walker said.
He admitted to being a little nervous during the 10-minute ceremony in the front yard of his Bullhead City home—decorated by his wife, Shelly. “I'm not a fancy person and I didn't want to mess up their special day, by stuttering or saying the wrong names," he said with a laugh. “And I didn't, which was pretty cool."
When asked why they decided to get married on Christmas Day, the couple, who met four years ago in the co-op's Kingman district office, explained they wanted to combine the magic of the season with family time. They didn't want a blowout wedding, just something simple with family and close friends in attendance.
“We love our family and friends and spending time with everyone. And Christmas to me symbolizes togetherness and being with the ones you love," Andrea Sinclair said.
