For the first time in its 120-year history, Unity is offering spiritual resources specifically targeted to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons and their families and friends. Paula Coppel, Unity vice president of communications and publishing, announced the new online LGBT resource center, located at www.unity.org, in an email last month to Unity ministers and spiritual leaders.
“We want to reach out to the LGBT community to let them know that we at Unity recognize and honor the inherent worth in all people. We welcome their participation and involvement in our movement and hope they will find spiritual resources of value here,” said Coppel.
The resource center includes articles, podcasts and videos from ministers, teachers and writers inside and outside the movement. “We also plan to list Unity churches and centers that support LGBTs. We’re asking ministers to provide information about their LGBT social groups or other activities so that we can make them available on the site,” added Coppel.
Unity minister Mark Fuss first felt the call to serve God at age 16. Fuss, who is gay, credits his Unity church in Panama City, Florida for inspiring him to awaken to and realize his spiritual potential. “The people at that church wrapped me in love and told me that God loved me just the way I was. This new online outreach is consistent with Unity’s mission, which is to support all people in realizing and expressing their divine potential,” he said.
“It’s an amazing time for me,” said Unity new media services manager Terry Newell. “I’ve worked at Unity nine years, and this is the first time we have really stepped out in a public way to say who we are.” Newell, a longtime gay rights activist, added that Unity will sponsor an informational table at the 2011 Kansas City AIDS Walk.
In April, Unity Village will host an LGBT retreat, featuring Chicago minister Mark Anthony Lord and Tony Award-winning performing artist Levi Kreis.
Unity is a positive path for spiritual living that helps people live healthy, prosperous and meaningful lives. Its headquarter operations touch millions of people each year through books, a non-denominational prayer ministry called Silent Unity, publications such as Daily Word and Unity Magazine, an online radio network at www.unity.fm, and spiritual education classes, events and retreats. Unity Village, the world headquarters of Unity, is located at M-350 Highway and Colbern Road (1901 NW Blue Parkway), near Lee’s Summit, Mo. In 1995, the Unity movement adopted a resolution honoring diversity in its many forms. It asserts that Unity will follow its Way Shower, Jesus Christ, to serve all people in spiritually and emotionally caring ways, including respecting the wonderful variety of human commitments and relationships. For more information, visit www.unity.org.