The Unity Church

I've decided that the first church I'm being called to attend is Unity of Richmond (www.unityrichmond.org). Interesting enough, I know NOTHING about the inter-denominational churches that make up the Unity religion. Can I even call it a denomination if it's inter-denominational? I guess I can, it's only if it was non-denomination that it would reject such a name, right? And I guess Unity is not a religion but a subset of one.

So far in my limited amount of research, I am already fascinated that Unity encompasses 3 of my 8 suggestions by Craigslist readers. And it's something I've never heard of before! I realize I am no religious guru, but if any church was going to dominate the suggestion list, I guess I would assume it'd be Catholicism or Baptist even. But 3 Unity's? Who knew? Now I'm just beyond excited to see what I've been missing!

I did sneak a peak at all 3 websites and they are certainly related and definitely a community of people with similar values and a shared mission. They do all reference Jesus Christ, but if I'm interpreting this correctly, they appear to have Buddhist undertones. My guess is that they are the type of church that doesn't like to have labels. That's just what I gather from reading online since they all describe themselves as "non-judgemental" and "accepting of all faiths". However, they are clearly a friend of Jesus which puts them in the Christian category at the very least.

Here are the 5 basic missions of the Unity church as stated on the Unity of BonAir website: (http://www.unitybonair.org)

1. There is only One Presence and One Power active in the universe and in our lives, God the Omnipotent Good.
2. The Christ Spirit is within every person. “Christ in you the hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:2)
3. Daily prayer and meditation connect us to God’s loving presence.
4. Through the power of thought, in God’s guiding light, we can transform our lives.
5. Understanding these principles is not enough – we must take them into action.

So far, it sounds good to me! I think it's very fitting as my first church since it is accepting of all religions (which is kinda the point of this project) so I think I will see a diverse group of people with a similar mindset as my own.....which I'd describe as: 3 parts Jesus, one part New Age non-judgmental spiritual experience with a pinch of traditional.

I'll certainly be reading up on them this week before my first visit on Sunday.

If you'd like to learn more about the inter-denominational church that defines themselves as "a positive, practical, progressive approach to Christianity based on the teachings of Jesus and the power of prayer." then check them out at www.unity.org