The co-founders of Unity, Charles and Myrtle Fillmore, wanted a place where they could combine all of the ministries of their growing movement under one roof. They wanted a church home. It was 1902 and Charles felt it was time to appoint a building committee. The Unity enterprise had just gotten started and many people, including some of the Trustee members, considered the building committee was premature.
At one of the early meetings, Charles introduced the idea of more space. One of the Board members started the building fund by jokingly giving a penny. Everyone laughed good-naturedly, finding his token donation amusing – everyone, that is, except Charles.
His own trusted Board had ridiculed his idea. Have you ever received similar treatment for an idea you had? When was the last time you were taken lightly, made fun of, or even ridiculed for an idea you had? What impact did the slight have on you? Charles Fillmore could have responded in any number of ways. But he was centered in his faith. He took the penny, thanked the member for his seed money, and blessed it.
To him the building fund was symbolically and literally on its way. Several months later, in February of 1903 in Unity Magazine, Charles offered subscribers “the opportunity of contributing any amount of money from 10 to one thousand dollars or more” towards the purchase of a site and the construction of a building. Incredibly, by the end of 1903 the building fund had grown to 25! That brings to mind the story of the Unity minister who addressed her congregation and said: “I’ve got good news and bad news. The good news is we’ve got plenty of money to pay all of our bills and take care of all our expenses. The bad news is it’s still in your wallets.
By 1905, several years later, the penny which started the building fund had grown to merely $601. In spite of their disappointment the Fillmore’s remained committed to the building campaign. The building committee had found an eight-room house for sale at 913 Tracy Avenue, but the money they had available was insufficient to even think about buying the property.
The Fillmore’s had prayed over this matter and believed that their prayers would be answered. They prayed to start each day and they prayed out of each day. They visualized. They affirmed. They prayed, believing manifestation would follow. Sound familiar? They prayed when they were inspired. And they prayed when they were tired. Charles and Myrtle Fillmore had PhD’s in prayer.
At a meeting of the Board of Directors of the Unity Society of Practical Christianity a few months later, a few people offered a few hundred dollars apiece toward the purchase of the building. Their pledges were accepted thankfully but the Fillmore’s seemed to be the only ones enthusiastic about the building fund.
Then one evening one of the Board members visited the Fillmore’s and said quietly that he had decided to mortgage his house in order to give Unity with the necessary funds. He wasn’t a wealthy man and he had a wife and four children to provide for. But he had been around the Fillmore’s and had seen their generosity and commitment. He believed in their ministry and wanted to see the ministry grow.
His business associates discouraged him from taking such a drastic step. To them, Unity was not a good risk. They believed he was being brainwashed by this strange religious group and reminded him he had a family to support. Even some of the Trustee members in Unity thought he was giving way too much. But he would not be dissuaded.
Because of his faith and enormous generosity, Unity purchased the lot on Tracy Avenue, and the rest, as they say, is history. Also his daughter, May Rowland, became the Director of Silent Unity and served for over 50 years. Her book, Dare to Believe, is a Unity classic.
Unity Village was built on the faith of Charles and Myrtle Fillmore, the faith of their sons, and on the faith of their friends and colleagues throughout the years. The Unity Spiritual Life Center in Durham, N.C. is built on faith too – the faith of its Board and the faith of its members. Cher and I have faith in USLC too!
We feel that the point where our collective consciousness, commitment, and ability meet the needs of people is where God wants the Unity Spiritual Life Center to be! And if we are where God wants us to be, there is nothing that can detract from the good that we can accomplish. And the same thing goes for each and every one of us: The point where your consciousness, commitment, and talent meets the needs of the world is where God wants you to be. And if you are where God wants you to be there is nothing that can separate you from your good or the good you can do.
Let us put the concept of NOTHING in perspective. It is critical to your understanding of how close you are to Spirit. The powerful concepts of Omnipresence, Omnipotence, and Omniscience have a couple of incredible things in common. They all start with the prefix “OM”. OM stands for the Christ within us, the I AM Presence. It signifies our connection to Spirit. They also have the “ni” in common. Ni is short for nil or nihil which signify nothing. So you see, there is nothing under heaven or on earth that can separate you from the all knowing, everywhere present, all powerful nature of God expressing in, through, and as you!
When you believe that, and if you truly know that within your heart, your life will be transformed forever! You will walk more confidently sleep more peacefully and live more fully. There is NOTHING that can separate you from the life you want. Not your past. Not your childhood experiences. Not your bad experiences. Not your most ingrained habits. Not your lost opportunities. Not the old tapes running through your head. Nothing can separate you from your good except your disbelief in truth principles and your doubts of your unworthiness. Any separation caused by these false assumptions and your feelings of unworthiness is only a perceived separation.
You are an idea in the mind of God expressing as you. The Unity Spiritual Life Center is an idea in the mind of Almighty God expressing as a community of believers. And each of us has a part to play in its unfoldment. “We live in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied into a single garment of destiny.” Those are the words of Dr. Martin Luther King. And they apply to us as members of this church, as visitors in this spiritual community, as citizens of this country, and members of humankind. We live in an “inescapable network of mutuality, tied into a single garment of destiny.”
Every time we pledge our time, our talents, and our money to this church we are going back to the future. Back to the pioneering contributors who made Unity Village a reality. The penny that began what we know as Unity Village made it possible for us to meet there today because this church is an extension of that mustard seed of faith.
The Unity Spiritual Life Center is here by divine right! We open these doors because Charles and Myrtle Fillmore opened doors. We pray to the God of our understanding because our co-founders prayed to the God of their understanding. We let our light shine because the Fillmore’s let their light shine. We have the privilege and responsibility of helping people understand that the Kingdom of God is within. The Fillmore’s believed it, and they believed it because Jesus the Christ taught it. And He taught it because it is true.
Inscribed on today’s pennies are the words: “In God We Trust” and trusting in God is a fundamental aspect of our truth walks. Whether it’s common sense or our sixth sense, it just makes perfect sense to trust the Omnipresence, Omnipotence, and Omniscience of a loving God. That insight will keep us on the right path.
Drs. Bil & Cher Holton are Spiritual Leaders at Unity Spiritual Life Center in Durham, NC, where they practice positive, practical, progressive Christianity. Visit their website at Unity Spiritual Life Center and sign up to receive a complimentary 4-week e-course.
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