70th Anniversary
Exactly 70 years ago, on January 24, 1951, Unity Fort Worth was incorporated, led by Rev. Ruth Johnson, a direct student and protégé of Unity co-founder Charles Fillmore.
In this service, we celebrate 70 years of promoting and applying a positive and uplifting approach to Christianity and other religions and spiritual thought in the greater Fort Worth area, inspiring many other Unity and New Thought churches to be established. Enjoy this historical walk down memory lane, accompanied by great music and visited by a few special guests from the past!
Experience the Service
A Note from the Minister
Read a special note written by Rev. Jean-Marie Schweizer here.
Scripts
1st Reading: The Beginnings
Read by Stella Fair, attending since 1975
Today is a very special day. As you’ve already heard, Unity Fort Worth was incorporated exactly 70 years ago today by the Reverend Ruth Johnson, a student and protegee of Unity co-founder Charles Fillmore. Yes, our church has a direct link to Papa Charlie!
Back in 1949, it was not very common to have a pastor speak in uplifting, affirmative ways to promote a practical and progressive approach to Christianity. And yet, by the 1960s, Unity Fort Worth was the largest Unity church in the metroplex. We were also instrumental in helping other Unity churches in the area become established. These were the very beginnings of a new way of seeing and expressing the Teachings of not only Jesus Christ but the many that have come before and after him, representing the broad spectrum of spiritual thought.
We weren’t always in the building on Trail Lake Drive. We’ve actually been in four different locations. In the beginning, classes were held in the Blackstone Hotel in downtown Fort Worth and later in the Flatiron Building. However, it is when we were able to purchase the land on Page Avenue one year after our incorporation when our first permanent home was established.
Our founding mother, Reverend Johnson stayed for 30 years, from 1949, when she first established a book study group before the official incorporation, until 1979. After Reverend Johnson left, Unity Fort Worth had five ministers serving within a nine year period, preparing for the next long-term minister.
Let us honor these very beginnings and our dear Reverend Ruth Johnson as we sing along to “God in Every Face.”
2nd Reading: The Roach Family
Read by Donna & Rodney Huddleston, attending since 2000
In 1988, Rev. Paul John Roach became the minister of Unity Fort Worth and brought with him his wife Davis and 5 year old daughter, Miriam. Paul and Davis were a dynamic duo whose partnership as church leaders attracted new members and grew the church to one of the largest communities in the Unity movement. Davis was known for her inspiring meditations and for her playwriting skills. Her death in 2003 was a devastating loss for the Roach family and for the church. Paul expanded his ministry and outreach with the help of the Internet and with his weekly radio program on Unity FM. Miriam herself grew into a young woman who was active in the teenage program of the Youth and Family Ministry, platformed for her father and shared her own spirit-filled meditations, following her mother’s footsteps. She is now married with three children and continues the Roach legacy in her own right.
Paul remained at Unity Fort Worth for an amazing 30 years, spending his last 12 years with his second wife, Wendy Vann, who also became a substantial part of our community. During his tenure, he put Unity Fort Worth on the global map within the movement. He retired in 2017. He continues to be an active contributor to several Unity publications, still hosts his weekly radio program, and currently serves on the board of Unity Headquarters. Paul and his family leave a long-lasting legacy with our community.
To commemorate this important era, we have a special guest joining us today before we listen to one of Davis’ legendary meditations.
3rd Reading: The Move
Read by Thayne & Peter Rooney, attending since 1996
Land adjacent to the church on Page Avenue was eventually purchased for a peace garden, and in 1997, the church at Page Avenue was added onto to accommodate the need for more space. However, it was soon clear that a larger church was needed. The sanctuary and church campus on Trail Lake Drive was located, and a capital campaign was formed to raise the money needed to purchase the property. After about a year, the property was purchased in 2000. On moving day, to commemorate this important milestone, congregants made a five mile pilgrimage from the Page Avenue church to the new location, singing and celebrating all the way! Unity Fort Worth had found its new home!
The move was an important milestone in the history of Unity Fort Worth. It recognized the growth and strength of practical Christianity with a broad world religious view while celebrating Spirit with lots of traditional and contemporary music. Many would say that Unity Fort Worth was a rather musical ministry without losing out on the importance of teaching the spiritual Principles.
To this day, our community cherishes this important step of outgrowing Page Avenue, and honors our current sanctuary with its hexagonal shape that brings many powerful energies together whenever we meet.
Recognizing that regardless of where we are physically located, let us enjoy another wonderful music piece: “The Father and I Are One.”
4th Reading: The Music Team
Read by Connie Logan Levsen, attending since 1986
and Hilary and Andrew Tipps, attending since 1980
Ask anyone to name the top three things they like about Unity Fort Worth, and it’s very likely that our music will be on that list. We have always had amazing—even world class—musicians in our midst. For many years, Melinda Wood Allen led our music department as the music director. Our musicians and singers excelled at all levels, with an amazing choir who took their talents well beyond our church walls, including an unforgettable performance at Carnegie Hall. After Melinda’s tenure, Larisa Cherkasov stepped into her shoes. For many years, Larisa was Melinda’s principle accompanist. By adding many classical masterpieces, she brought her own nuance to the music team even well before she stepped into the music director’s role. In addition to her solo performances, her friends from the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra sometimes join us, including her violinist husband, Eugene. Larisa just celebrated her 25th year with Unity Fort Worth last year.
We would not do our music team any justice if we didn’t mention what’s been known as the heart of our community: Andrew’s and my dad, David Tipps. For many years, he shared his talents with us in inspiring and meaningful ways. Every time he took the stage, it seemed as if any remaining conflict or dismay simply disappeared through his music of Love and Peace.
He inspired some of us to discover our musical talents, and many remaining on our music team still draw much inspiration from his legacy. It is fair to say that even more than 10 years after his unexpected transition, he remains with us in our hearts forever.
So, please join us on a Throwback Thursday moment with our dad singing “God Is.”
5th Reading: Key Members, Volunteers, and Staff
Read by Dee Prigmore, attending since 1997
and Pat Dorraj, attending since 1996
Every church relies on the generous service of its volunteers and staff, and Unity Fort Worth is not an exception. Over the past 70 years, many have left a substantial mark if not a legacy with our community, and we could dedicate an entire service alone to mentioning everyone individually. Instead, we are leaving it up to you right now to remember and honor those who inspired you by leaving their names in the chat.
While you consider your sharing, we will simply touch on the many teams and groups who blessed our community over the years, such as our greeters and ushers, our welcome and hospitality team, our crossing guards and security team, our bookstore personnel, the entire youth and family team, the librarians, the cleaners and janitors, those taking care of our grounds and gardens, the many involved in even the smallest and yet most important backgrounds tasks, the techies, the music team, the worship team, our group leaders, guest speakers, and workshop facilitators, those who spontaneously dropped everything just to help out, the loud ones and the quiet ones, our dedicated board members, our tireless staff, and the ministerial team, including our Licensed Unity Teachers, prayer chaplains, pastoral caregivers, the meditators, healers, and, of course, our ministers…[Pause]...Keep it coming, there is no limit to our gratitude to all of you.
We gratefully acknowledge that all of us who served or still serve in one capacity or another embody the very essence of this church and express both individually and as part of the great “I Am.”
6th Reading: The Transition
Read by Nona & Max Meinen, attending since 1970
Transitions are a normal part of anyone’s life, including that of a spiritual community. Ten years ago, we entered a significant transition here at Unity Fort Worth that allowed us to refocus our beliefs and values and to move into a new way of Being. Like with many transitions, some experiences can be painful and lead to a curious questioning of whether or not we are on the right path. And, sometimes, it will take some time to realize that a significant change has Goodness written all over itself, leading us into a new era of spiritual growth and fulfillment.
During this time of transition, much has happened, and while some experiences may have been painful, others are easily cherished. As times were changing, we were given the opportunity to change along with them. And, many of us anticipated the outcome as an uplifting and healing experience. Rev. Paul John Roach retired after 30 years of dedicated service not only to our community but to the greater Unity movement worldwide. Rev. Nat Carter stepped in to prepare us for the conclusion of our transition to allow a new era to unfold in front of our eyes. The countless hours going into volunteer service, the many workshops on healing, Prosperity, and finding a new mission that reflected who we were presently required much stamina from many but also showed how committed the community was to itself and its spiritual growth. Looking back, we kindly remember the many hours spent together in harmony as we prepared ourselves for the future.
Whatever challenges and opportunities we may have experienced, the one thing we never forgot in the end is that we are all “One.”
7th Reading: The Future
Read by Eldon and Adrianne Berry, attending since 1994
In this highlight of the life of Unity Fort Worth, we’ve talked about the four different buildings that have housed this church. And it’s hard not to notice the irony that none of us are watching this together or are in our church building today. We celebrate this 70th anniversary of the incorporation of Unity Fort Worth virtually, online. Now, we do this, of course, in order to stay safe during the pandemic that has been with us for nearly a year now. But like other trials and challenges we’ve faced as a church over the years, inside those challenges we discover the opportunity to grow and evolve.
We couldn’t have known, back in 2019, when we were interviewing ministers to fill Rev. Paul Roach’s position, that we needed a multi-talented multi-tasker who never sleeps. We had no way of knowing how important it was to choose a minister that was also a tech wizard. And we never could have predicted that our world would have been turned so upside down that our minister also needed to be a professional mental health counselor. By luck or Divine providence, we got all that when we hired our current minister, Rev. Jean-Marie Schweizer.
And he, along with our diligent board members and tech visionaries, are showing us what the future can look like for Unity Fort Worth. While we have a brick and mortar building that we call our church, and we will no doubt be back in that church in the hopefully near future, we see the possibility of a church without walls. We see services and programs and classes that all can participate in—with or without coming to the physical church. We see opportunities for engagement and learning and the important act of caring for one another as happening continuously, without regard to facilities. We see that giving of time and talent and treasure do not have to be restricted to walking in the doors. We don’t for one minute deny the importance of being together, but we are beginning to understand that the world looks different now and people move through it differently. Our new live streaming abilities are going to allow people the flexibility of attending and being involved with Unity Fort Worth on their own terms. This can only serve to open our doors wider and invite more people in.
Our future looks bright. We have weathered storms together and have celebrated our joys together for 70 years. As we move forward on this journey, let us remember those who helped make this day possible. And let us make way for a future that allows a community much greater than ours right now to embrace what we have to offer.
And, as a symbol of our Faith and commitment to this future, let us sing along to an all time favorite, “You are Love”