Unity History
Introduction to New Thought
Charles married Myrtle in Clinton, Missouri, on March 29, 1881, and the newlyweds moved to Pueblo, Colorado, where Charles established a real estate business with the brother-in-law of Nona Lovell Brooks, who was later to found the Church of Divine Science.
After the births of their first two sons, Lowell Page and Waldo Rickert Fillmore, the family moved to Kansas City, Missouri. Two years later, in 1886, Charles and Myrtle attended New Thought classes held by Dr. E. B. Weeks. Myrtle subsequently recovered from chronic tuberculosis and attributed her recovery to her use of prayer and other methods learned in Weeks' classes. Subsequently Charles began to heal from his childhood accident, a development that he, too, attributed to following this philosophy. Charles Fillmore became a devoted student of philosophy and religion.
A Growing Movement
In 1889, Charles left his business to focus entirely on publishing a new periodical, Modern Thought. In 1890 they organized a prayer group that would later be called "Silent Unity" and in the following year, the Fillmore's Unity magazine was first published. On December 7, 1892, Charles and Myrtle penned their Dedication and Covenant.
We, Charles Fillmore and Myrtle Fillmore, husband and wife, hereby dedicate ourselves, our time, our money, all we have and all we expect to have, to the Spirit of Truth, and through it, to the Society of Silent Unity.
It being understood and agreed that the said Spirit of Truth shall render unto us an equivalent for this dedication, in peace of mind, health of body, wisdom, understanding, love, life and an abundant supply of all things necessary to meet every want without our making any of these things the object of our existence.
In the presence of the Conscious Mind of Christ Jesus, this 7th day of December A.D. 1892.
Charles Fillmore
Myrtle Fillmore
Dr. H. Emilie Cady published a series titled Lessons in Truth in the new magazine. This material later was compiled and published in a book by the same name, which served as a seminal work of the Unity movement. Although Charles had no intention of making Unity into a denomination, his students wanted a more organized group. He and his wife were among the first ordained Unity ministers in 1906. Charles and Myrtle Fillmore first operated the Unity organization from a campus near downtown Kansas City. Unity began a formal program for training ministers in 1931.
Myrtle Fillmore died in 1931. Charles remarried in 1933 to Cora G. Dedrick who was a collaborator on his later writings. Charles Fillmore made his transition in 1948.
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What We Believe
Our Philosophy
Unity is a positive, practical, progressive approach to Christianity based on the teachings of Jesus and the power of prayer. Unity honors the universal truths in all religions and respects each individual’s right to choose a spiritual path.
God
God is Spirit, the loving source of all that is. God is the one power, all good, everywhere present, all wisdom. God is divine energy, continually creating, expressing and sustaining all creation. In God, we live and move and have our being. In Unity, some other ways we speak of God are Life, Light, Love, Substance, Principle, Law and Universal Mind.
Jesus
We believe that Jesus expressed his divine potential and sought to show humankind how to express ours as well. We see Jesus as a master teacher of universal truths and as our Way Shower. In Unity, we use the term Christ to mean the divinity in humankind. Jesus is the great example of the Christ in expression.
The Nature of Humankind
We are each individual, eternal expressions of God. Our essential nature is divine and therefore inherently good. Our purpose is to express our divine potential as realized and demonstrated by Jesus and other master teachers. The more we awaken to our divine nature, the more fully God expresses in and through our lives.
The Bible
Unity co-founders Charles and Myrtle Fillmore studied the Bible as history and allegory and interpreted it as a metaphysical representation of humankind's evolutionary journey toward spiritual awakening. In addition, Unity recognizes that the Bible is a complex collection of writings compiled over many centuries. We honor the writings as reflecting the understanding and inspiration of the writers at the time they were written. The Bible continues to be a valuable spiritual resource for us.
Our Teachings
Unity teaches that each person is a unique expression of God created with sacred worth. Living from that awareness transforms our lives and the world.
Unity emphasizes the creative power of thought in our life experience. We refer to this as the Law of Mind Action. When we take personal responsibility to choose life-affirming thoughts, words and actions, we experience a more fulfilling and abundant life.
Unity emphasizes the importance of applying spiritual principles in our daily lives.
Unity teachings continue to evolve as we identify, embrace and apply spiritual insights and the spiritual implications of new discoveries.
Prayer and Meditation
Affirmative prayer is the highest form of creative thought. It includes the release of counterproductive, negative thoughts, as well as holding in mind statements of spiritual truth. Through meditation, we experience the presence of God. Prayer and meditation heighten our awareness and thereby transform our lives.
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Unity's Five Basic Principles
We encourage you to explore and apply Unity teachings based on your own spiritual understanding. We believe this spiritual understanding is enhanced through reflective prayer and meditation. The five basic ideas that make up the Unity belief system are:
- God is the source and creator of everything - all good, everywhere present. This is the only Presence and Power expressing as the Universe and as my life.
- Human beings are expressions of God. Spirituality is our true nature.
- Our thoughts and feelings have the power to create our experience of life.
- Prayer and meditation keep us connected to Source energy.
- It's not enough to know spiritual principles; we must live the truth we know.
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Vision, Mission, and Core Values
Vision
Celebrating a world transformed by Love.
Mission
Transforming lives through inspiration, connection and sacred service.
Core Values
We are:
- Accepting
- Empowering
- Heart-centered
- Truth-seeking
- Generous
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Diversity Statement
Honoring Diversity within the Unity Movement
We believe that all people are created with sacred worth. Therefore, we recognize the importance of serving all people within the Unity family in spiritually and emotionally caring ways. We strive for our ministries, publications, and programs to reach out to all who seek Unity support and spiritual growth.
It is imperative that our ministries and outreach be free of discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender, age, creed, religion, national origin, ethnicity, physical disability, gender identity, gender expression, or sexual orientation. Our sincere desire is to ensure that all Unity organizations are nondiscriminatory and support diversity.
In our effort to reach out to all people as did our Way Shower, Jesus Christ, we support the modification of our facilities to make them accessible to all people, regardless of physical challenges; the translation of our materials into braille and other languages; and respect for the wonderful variety of human commitments and relationships.
We encourage ministers, teachers, and others within Unity to honor the strength of diversity within their spiritual communities. It is with love and in celebration of our unity, in the midst of our wondrous diversity, that we affirm this position.
(Adopted by Unity World Headquarters at Unity Village and Unity Worldwide Ministries, January 23, 1995; revised November 5, 2014.)
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Peace Statement
Unity's Statement for Peace
Unity stands for peace in the presence of conflict; for love in the presence of hatred; for forgiveness in the presence of injury. Unity honors the many names for God, the many paths to God, the many ways to worship God; for there is only one power and presence of God and that God loves each one of us equally.
It is therefore the position of the Association of Unity Churches International and Unity to urge all nations, their leaders and their people to turn to God by whatever the name for guidance during these challenging times and pursue peace, not war, for this is what honors the God of all our faith traditions. Unity stands for peace in our lifetime.
"Love casts out fear." 1 John 4:18
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History of Unity of Madison
Unity of Madison began as a study group in 1955 and initially met in private homes and later at the YWCA Chapel. The building at 4607 Winnequah Road in Monona was purchased in 1974. Services were held at the Winnequah Road location until the current building at 601 Tompkins Drive was purchased in 1992. In 1995, the 6-room house next door at 705 Tompkins Drive was purchased and served as the church office until Sept 2018.
Here is our detailed history:
- 1955: Roland and Edith Diehl started a study group in Madison.
- 1955-1957: Rev. Marguerite McAdams was the minister; services were held in homes.
- 1959-1962: Rev. Ferne Mack was minister; office was on Gorham; services held at YWCA chapel.
- 1961: February 14, Unity Center of Madison was incorporated.
- 1963-1966: The church was dormant and served by neighboring ministries.
- 1967: Revs. Phil and Mary Stovin were the ministers.
- 1968: Rev. Terry Haven was the minister.
- 1969: Rev. Dorothy Paul was minister; services held at YMCA.
- 1970: Rev. Rudy Leidig was the minister.
- 1972-1975: Rev. Adelaide Diblee was the minister.
- 1974: Purchase of 4607 Winnequah Road in Monona.
- 1975-1984: Rev. Duane Hardy was minister.
- 1978: Ara Helen McDonald became a Licensed Unity Teacher (LUT).
- 1979: Lois Jensen became an LUT.
- 1981-84: Unity of Madison sponsored Robert Schuller, Leo Buscaglia and Zig Ziglar for Madison visits.
- 1985-1989: Rev. Eunice Chagnon minister until 1989 when she left to form Unity Church of Peace, on the west side of Madison. It is no longer in operation. Her husband, Spence Chagnon was a LUT.
- 1986: February 14 was Unity of Madison's 25th anniversary.
- 1990-1991: Dr. Wanda Beddinghouse served from Fall 1990 - April 1991.
- 1991-1992: Bill Clarke was a “supply” minister, filling interim duties July 1991- August 1992.
- 1992: Purchase of 601 Tompkins Dr as dedicated church home, move in July 1992.
- 1992-2000: Rev. Roger Goodwin served as minister from August 1992 until 2000.
- 1995: Purchase of 705 Tompkins Drive next door as church office.
- 2000-2001: Interim Consultant Jeanette Monterio served as minister.
- 2001-2003: Rev. Ted Schneider was minister from October 2001 - April 2003.
- 2003-2004: Rev. Joy Young, Interim Minister, served from June 2003 - Fall 2004.
- 2004-2014: Rev. Marshall Norman served from November 2004 until December 2014.
- 2011: February 14 was Unity of Madison's 50th anniversary.
- 2012: Barry Roberts became a Licensed Unity Teacher (LUT).
- 2014: Full Sanctuary remodel and front lawn Labyrinth installation.
- 2015: Rev. Marty Newman, Transitional Ministry Consultant, served February-August 2015.
- 2015-2018: Rev. Judy Pilat served from November 2015 until October 2018.
- 2018: Sale of house at 705 Tompkins Dr (served as church office) Sept 2018.
- 2018: Remodel of Upper and Lower Levels of church building (Oct-Dec 2018).
- 2018-19: Interim Transitional Minister Rev. Carla McClellan (Nov - May).
- 2019: Rev. Evin Wilkins joins us as our full-time minister (Sept 29, 2019).
- 2024: Rev. Debra Carter Williams joined us as our full-time minister.
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How Charles and Myrtle Fillmore Met
Charles Fillmore was born in 1854 in Indian Territory (later MN) near where the Sauk River meets the Mississippi. In 1874 he moved to the town of Caddo in Indian Territory just north of Texas's northern border because a cousin told him it was a town full of opportunity. He found that life in Caddo involved a lot of drunken cowboys shooting up the town and creating general havoc nightly so within two months he was living and working in Denniston, Texas. He joined a literary society of young adults who met to discuss philosophy, literature and to recite poetry.
Myrtle Page was born in 1845 in Pagetown, Ohio. In 1867 she attended Oberlin College to take the one-year course that women were allowed to take at that time. She moved to Clintonville, MO in 1868 and worked as a schoolteacher until she had an episode of consumption, and her doctors told her she needed a drier climate if she wanted to live. Denniston, TX was a popular place for consumption patients to move to for a drier climate so in the mid 1870's Myrtle moved there. She worked as a tutor and got involved in local church and temperance activities and joined the local literary society.
One evening in 1876 Myrtle recited a poem she had written at a literary society meeting and Charles was smitten. He later said that evening was their first meeting and when he saw and heard her a voice in his head said " There's your wife Charles." Myrtle found Charles attractive though she was not as instantly specific about long term plans as Charles was.
In the interest of brevity, I will skip more details of their courtship, but it involved considerable correspondence because they each moved to different states. They were married in the evening of March 29, 1881, and boarded a train at 9 pm that same evening to begin the trip to their new home in Gunneston, CO.