Membership

While membership at Unity has it’s benefits and privilages, it also comes with commitments.  To ourselves and each other and the community as a whole.  All UCCO members pledge the following:

• I pledge to see and treat Unity members and other attendees as part of my own spiritual body. I promise to think and act kindly toward them in word and deed, refraining from criticism or gossip. When I find myself triggered or concerned about someone’s actions, I commit to searching my own consciousness for the source of the trigger and, if necessary, speaking directly to the person involved about my concerns. I promise to bring in the perspective of my Higher Self through prayer and meditation and commit to seeing the other as light incarnate, regardless of human foibles.
• I commit to share my energy and talents with my spiritual community, committing at least 5 hours/year in volunteer service. I will give financial support, as I am able.
• I commit to accelerating my spiritual evolution and my engagement with the community by participating in at least one of UCCO’s classes, workshops or small groups in the course of each year. (Includes History of Unity, Unity Principles, Prosperity, Prayer)
• I commit to attending Unity services on a regular basis and keeping abreast of current happenings in the community through one or more of our news channels. (Online Newsletter; Sunday Program; Website)

As a spiritual community, our mission is to embody love and awaken spiritual consciousness.  The number one way we embody love is by fostering community.  To do that we need to connect and communicate.

Community develops when we share space together, whether it’s on Sunday, in a small group or in a virtual setting.

We encourage members to attend services on Sundays as often as possible in order to share space as well as the intention to grow spiritually. But Sunday is a small part of what we have to offer our members.

Members connect through serving on teams, like hospitality, administrative, janitorial, healthy foods, prayer, gardening, marketing and music. We also connect through a program called U Count. This is an opt-in email program where you receive emails from other members who need help or have something to offer and respond only if interested. I’ve seen requests for meals and dog-walking from folks recovering from surgery; help packing or schlepping boxes for a move; help building a labyrinth and so much more. On the giving end, I’ve seen offers of a like-new bed or other furniture, spare coats or clothes for children—and so much more. It feels so good to create a net to hold one another.

Classes are another way to engage with each other and to awaken spiritually at the same time.  Our class topics include abundance, feng shui, Bible studies, self-care, history of new thought, and soul collage. The possibilities are endless.

We also encourage members to participate in Spirit groups. These groups of 6-8 people meet in someone’s home or online for a period of 6-7 weeks. It’s an opportunity to pray and meditate together, share food, challenge ourselves to grow, and explore a topic of discussion. We also serve the larger community through a project we do together. We grow in compassion for each other as we get to know each other better. Deep friendships have often begun in a Spirit Group!

There are also ongoing groups: a women’s group, a men’s group, an LGBTQ group, a hiking group, a sage-ing together group, a parents’ group, a healers’ group and A Course in Miracles study group. If you don’t see the group you’d love to join, maybe you’d like to start one!

Communication flows naturally when we are together, but we also communicate as an organization through a Facebook group, Meetup and Instagram, and our weekly video newsletter. We encourage everyone to stay current on what is happening at Unity by paying attention to these information streams.

Finally, we communicate with each other individually. Simple Church is the database where we can find names and phone numbers so we can get together by phone or in person and build friendships. You’ll see a PDF on this page explaining how to use Simple Church. With all these ways to connect, we hope you will dive in and get to know us!

Probably the main question a person has when exploring a spiritual community is what are the beliefs? There is nothing you must believe in order to be a member, but you will probably feel better about joining if you resonate with our teachings. There are 5 principles that describe Unity teachings about the nature and relationship of the Divine and Creation.

Although founded as practical Christianity, Unity is not tethered to the dogma of Christianity or any other religion. We focus on the realm beyond mental constructs of God and creation. Unbounded, unlimited, whole. This realm is Absolute. All power and possibility originate here. We could call this God, but we generally avoid that term because the word has acquired so much baggage. Because our belief of this Absolute Realm is beyond thought, it becomes challenging to use words to describe it! When we meet for the membership class, you’ll have the chance to talk about your beliefs. Most of us have evolved in our ways of describing the Great Mystery!

Because we believe that everything in existence comes from the Absolute Realm, this dictates our view of creation, including humanity. We believe everything that springs from the Absolute shimmers with the power and possibility of the Absolute Realm. We use the term Christ to describe the fullness or ideal of who we really are. It’s abundantly clear that most of us are not living this ideal. If we talk about sin in Unity (which is rare), we mean we are missing the mark of living from our ideal Christ nature. If we talk about salvation (also rare), we mean alignment to our Christ self. We do not believe in heaven and hell as an afterlife destination based on judgment. Instead, we see these as states of mind. Expansive, untethered and aligned with the Absolute is heaven. Tormented, constricted and limited by judgments of right and wrong is hell.

We believe we are all microcosms of the Absolute and so we are creating reality constantly through our consciousness—both collectively and individually. This means that tending our consciousness is our main spiritual task. We use prayer as a technology to raise our consciousness, rather than a tool to get an outside God to give us something we don’t already have. For example, instead of praying “God help me! Or God heal me”, we remind ourselves in prayer that Strength, Wisdom, Life—and so much more—are intrinsic to our Christ nature. We align with that nature and from that state are able to find the help and healing that seem elusive to our limited thinking.

These ideas can be heady. We also believe it’s critical to put our beliefs into action. Walk the talk. Don’t just say “I am one with All That Is”. Meditate and know that truth. Treat others—humans, animals, all the earth—with respect. Don’t just say, “I am one with love.” Actually be kind and loving and compassionate. When triggered, instead of condemning, practice the shadow work that brings us back to a state of peace and oneness.

In addition to these five principles, we teach the Bible from a metaphysical perspective and as the journey of an historical people, not as a literal, historical document. Much of the Bible is inspired and much of it can only be understood within a cultural context. Especially for those of us who were raised to accept every word as the literal word of an authoritative God, it is very liberating to explore the Bible in this way. When we refer to metaphysical, an example would be to explore the Noah of me. What is the part of me that listens to inspiration and takes action even in the face of ridicule? The part of me that is willing to do what it takes to preserve a just world even when everything is falling apart? The part of me that holds faith and sees hope in a rainbow that a new world is coming into form? This is distinct from believing there is a spot where the remnants of Noah’s Ark can be found because it was an historical event. We teach the Bible because it is such a central part of our culture, but we are more accurately Interspiritual. That means we explore the common ground of wisdom where all religions originate as well as myths and contemporary stories. Truth is at the center of that common ground and we are interested in the timeless truths.

Another teaching we have in Unity is that prosperity is available to us all. It is not just an amount of money but rather an attitude of knowing that as expressions of the Absolute we have access to fullness. In our experience, this often seems elusive. That’s why prosperity thinking is a practice.

This is a simple overview of our teachings and you will be offered many opportunities to study them more thoroughly if you desire and to see how they can enrich your life. You will never be pressured to accept these teachings. We treasure you as a person far more than your ideas. You are on your own perfect spiritual journey and we welcome you to find what works for you!

In January 2001, UCCO was founded by a group of 20 founding members and Rev. Teri Hawkins, a newly ordained Unity minister. The little group grew for several years and then, when the landlord got the boom fever, he doubled our rent and that was more than we could responsibly agree to. So we took the show on the road, so to speak. Over the next 5 years, we tried the
Tower Theater, Hitchcock Auditorium at COCC, an outdoor amphitheater in a private development, and the Environmental Center. Finally, in 2010 we found the Grange, a 100 year old building out by the Bend Airport, that offered us a home where we didn’t need to pack up all our stuff every week.

All of that moving around took its toll, and the membership kept dwindling. By the end of 2010, we were back to almost square one, without about 24 regular attendees and Rev. Teri, who had not had a break in those 10 years, took a 9-month sabbatical. Rev. Jane came in at that point. Rev. Teri got clarity during her sabbatical that she was ready to retire, so Rev. Jane went through the steps to become a licensed Unity minister, which she accomplished in 2015.

From 2011-2018, we experienced steady growth again until we had outgrown the space. Using the powers of visioning, prayer and strategic planning, we manifested the space on Scenic Drive known as One World Center. We were so fortunate that 4 families had the means and the generous hearts to purchase the property. These Partners in Unity hold the property in an LLC
and lease it both to Unity and Desert Sky Montessori. We held our first service there in September 2018. Even though we had twice as many seats as the Grange had held, they were all full the very first day!

Prior to the shutdown for the pandemic, we were having 2 services each week and we had begun the process of visioning for a next step that would include more space for youth ed and more classroom space. Despite the inability to hold services, we continue the visioning process and some very exciting possibilities are emerging. Time will tell what we create together!

Unity was founded in the late 1800’s by Charles and Myrtle Fillmore. They were a spiritually powerful couple who were excited by spiritual ideas, guided by dreams and steeped in prayer. Unity started as a healing prayer ministry when Myrtle, who was considered terminally ill with TB, (which ran in her family), had a moment of awakening. During a lecture, she heard the speaker say, “You are a child of God; you do not inherit disease.” In that instant, she pivoted in her consciousness from the belief that she wouldn’t live to 40 and saw herself as whole. She began a practice of prayer where she saturated her body and mind with love and forgiveness. If you’ve heard of the Hawaiian Ho’ oponopono prayer, this is what she was doing. She loved and appreciated her body and asked it for forgiveness for ever seeing it as less than whole. Myrtle lived to be 86 and never was ill again. As you can imagine, friends and neighbors who witnessed her recovery, wanted to have what she was having! So, she invited them to join her in prayer circles. Many healings occurred and that was the birth of Silent Unity, which continues to this day, offering prayer 24/7, via phone, email, and a UPray app!

They soon began a publishing ministry. In the beginning this included a monthly magazine for truth students, a magazine for children called Wee Wisdom, and a publication called the Daily Word filled with stories and positive affirmations to boost the day. Unity Headquarters is still publishing a monthly Unity magazine and the Daily Word (available in hard copy, online or
through an app) as well as books, an online radio station and miscellaneous other products.

Charles and Myrtle also started weekly gatherings where they would share Truth teachings. These tended to be afternoon gatherings, designed to supplement people’s regular church attendance. They had no desire to start a church. They were interested in education. However, in order to be able to send chaplains to the Great War, they needed to have them affiliated
with a church, so Unity Church was born and ministers began to be trained and ordained.

Today, Unity Worldwide Ministries is a membership-based organization that includes Unity centers all over the world. They offer an annual convention, online trainings for leaders, a school for prospective ministers and licensed teachers, classes for spiritual seekers and many resources, such as youth education curriculum, that benefit the local centers.

Unity is also sectioned into geographical regions to encourage ministries to connect with each other and support each other. The regions offer youth programs, annual conferences, and more. Rev. Jane is currently the vice chair for the NW Region.

With a focus of advancing the global movement of spiritual awakening and transformation through Unity, a positive path for spiritual living, you can imagine that global Unity is always creating and evolving!