A New Thought Church on Chicago's South Side
Christ Universal Temple sits on a 100-acre campus at 119th Street and Ashland Avenue on Chicago's South Side, and describes itself as one of the largest New Thought spiritual communities in the United States. Locals know it by the initials CUT, and the phrase that appears over its identity statement, "Where the love of Christ prevails and the principles of Christ are proclaimed." Members and visitors are taught to think of their faith as practical spirituality, applied through what the church calls "Better Living."
Weekly worship is centered on a Sunday morning service that is livestreamed worldwide, and the rest of the week is filled with classes, wellness programming, small-group fellowship, prayer support, and outreach to people in jails, hospitals, and Veterans' communities.
Sixty-five Years of Better Living
Christ Universal Temple was founded in 1956 by the Rev. Dr. Johnnie Colemon, who is often called the First Lady of the New Thought Christian Community. In 1974 she founded the Universal Foundation for Better Living (UFBL), an international organization of affiliated New Thought churches and study groups, and CUT remains a flagship congregation of that movement. CUT is also a member of the International New Thought Alliance.
Under Rev. Colemon's leadership the campus grew to include three sanctuaries and a banquet hall and restaurant, as well as two institutions of learning: the Johnnie Colemon Institute (for adult spiritual education) and the Johnnie Colemon Academy. The current main church, with its 200-seat Faith Chapel, meditation garden and pavilion, sits at 119th and Ashland.
After Rev. Colemon's retirement in 2006, the congregation spent nearly five years in a national search before calling its second Senior Minister, the Rev. Dr. Derrick B. Wells.
A Senior Minister's Own Story of Transformation
Rev. Dr. Derrick B. Wells is a Chicago native, author, artist, and graduate of Simeon High School who served in the United States Navy during the Persian Gulf War before enrolling at the University of Chicago and, more recently, completing a doctorate at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Illinois. He describes himself as once "unchurched" and says he found his way to Christ Universal Temple as an adult, looking for a spiritual home that could help him change. He serves alongside his wife Sylvia and their children Malika and Mikael.
Wells is the author of Guidelines for a Master, 12 Steps to an Extremely Happy Life, which draws parallels between spiritual practice and the 1980s film The Last Dragon, and was a contributing author to Spiritual Principles for a Prosperous Life. He is the second Senior Minister in CUT's history.
Sunday Morning at CUT
Sunday is the heart of the rhythm. Sunday Celebration Services run from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. CST and include inspirational messages, music, prayer, meditation, and fellowship. The service is livestreamed on YouTube for those watching from home.
Children are not left out. C.U.T. Kids (Pre-K through 8th grade) meets at 10:30 a.m. on the second floor of the Faith Chapel; teachers escort young worshipers to their classrooms. Youth Expressing Christ (YEC), the teen service, also meets at 10:30 and includes the Bible Bowl, a friendly competition of Bible knowledge between teams of boys and girls. Praise Sensations, the dance ministry, performs at YEC services and at special services throughout the year.
After the service, parishioners gather again for Birth Month Groups from 12:15 to 12:45 p.m. Members are clustered into three groups that meet on the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Sundays of each month, and the gatherings focus on fellowship and on learning the principles taught by Jesus the Christ.
The Principles of Truth
The teaching at CUT is rooted in New Thought Christian spirituality and is laid out under five core ideas on the church's "What We Teach" page.
- The Omnipresence of God: God is everywhere equally present.
- The Divinity of Humankind: people are made in the image and likeness of God.
- The Value and Power of Thought: through thinking, a person forms what they have in their life.
- Practicing the Presence: lived through prayer (communion with God), meditation (conscious thought on aspects of God), and silence (listening to God).
- The Law of Demonstration: results follow from right thinking, right words, right feelings, right actions, and right reactions - what the church also calls the "Law of Mind Action."
The mission is summarized as teaching people how to live better lives through the renewing of their minds, drawn from Romans 12:2. The vision is "building the individual, rebuilding the institution, expanding the reach of our better living message."
The Johnnie Colemon Institute and the Bookstore Cafe
The Johnnie Colemon Institute (JCI) is the educational arm of the church, named for the founder. Each fall and spring it offers classes on meditation, personal development, financial empowerment, health and wellness, and spiritual principles. Registration is $25 per class, and a love offering is taken in each session. Books for the classes can be bought in person at the CUT Bookstore Cafe, which is open Wednesdays 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Sundays 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The Bookstore Cafe also runs an online shop at cut-bookstore.myshopify.com.
The JCI Teacher Training Academy, a satellite of the Johnnie Colemon Theological Seminary, recruits and prepares candidates to become licensed UFBL teachers.
Weddings, Prayer, and Pastoral Care
The 200-seat Faith Chapel, along with the meditation garden and pavilion, is available for weddings. The pastoral team also offers pre-marriage counseling, and a variety of wedding packages can be arranged by calling Pastoral Care at 773-568-2282.
CUT's 24-Hour Prayer Ministry is a signature outreach. Members of the ministry staff the phones every hour of every day, taking calls from people in need of encouragement and prayer. The recorded Dial-A-Prayer line at 773-568-1789 offers a daily message of inspiration. Prayer requests can also be sent to prayer@cutemple.org.
For more extended spiritual guidance, spiritual counseling with a member of the ministerial team is available by appointment through Pastoral Care, and transition services (funerals and memorial celebrations) are coordinated through the church as well.
Interest Ministries for Every Stage of Life
Beyond Sunday worship, CUT runs a wide network of "interest ministries" that meet at specific times during the month.
- Diamonds on the Move is the fellowship for parishioners age 55 and better, focused on friendship, service, and spiritual enrichment.
- Married Couples Club works to deepen intimacy, manage conflict, and strengthen shared meaning in marriage.
- Men Expressing Christ (MEC) meets on the third Sunday of every month immediately after worship in the Faith Chapel, with the Rev. Dr. Winston Johnson as director and Rev. Gaylon McDowell as team leader. The group runs hospital visitation, a Partners in Prayer cohort, an outreach mentoring program for fatherless boys, and Bible study for men only.
- Professionals Reaching Out (PRO) is the young professionals network. PRO meets every fourth Sunday from 12:20 to 1:20 p.m. and runs development, fundraising, outreach, and wellness subcommittees.
- Toastmasters Clubs: CUT hosts three Toastmasters branches - Club #1 on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m., and Clubs #2 and #3 on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays at 10:00 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. The clubs are open to anyone interested in public speaking, with no affiliation to CUT required.
Children, Youth, and Young Adults
Children and teens are woven into the life of the church. C.U.T. Kids welcomes students from Pre-K through 8th grade with age-appropriate spiritual education and character development. G.R.O.W. Power (Geniuses Realizing Our Worth) is a mentoring program for girls ages 8 to 18 that meets on the 2nd and 4th Saturday of every month and emphasizes self-love, self-confidence, etiquette, healthy choices, career exploration, and community service. Praise Sensations is the teen dance ministry. The Director of Youth Ministry, Lauren Yancy, coordinates all of this programming.
For children under 3, infant christening (ages 0-2) and youth or junior membership (ages 3-12) are available alongside adult spiritual baptism, all arranged through the Baptismal Team.
Serving Beyond the Walls
CUT's outreach extends well beyond the Ashland campus.
The Freedom Ministry teaches spiritual principles on a regular basis to individuals in Cook County Jail. Volunteers help those incarcerated learn practices for transforming their lives by the renewing of their minds, and they also educate themselves and others about policies that perpetuate mass incarceration. Inquiries can be sent to freedomministrycut@gmail.com.
Through a partnership with DePaul University's Egan Office of Urban Education and Community Social Service Partnerships, CUT serves as a Multi-Faith Veteran Initiative site. The site's territory stretches from south of Madison Avenue through Chicago's south suburbs to the Northwest Indiana border. Two programs operate out of the site: the general Veteran transition and family support program, funded by a McCormick Foundation grant, and Women Veterans We Rise, a Boeing Foundation-funded project that addresses the specific experiences of women Veterans, including Military Sexual Trauma, isolation, homelessness, and reintegration challenges.
The Ambassadors of Love visit adults in special living accommodations and children in group homes, delivering cards, lilies, and gifts at Easter, Mother's Day, Father's Day, and Christmas, and hosting a prayer breakfast for fellowship.
Worship, Music, and a Worldwide Livestream
CUT's online ministry reaches well beyond Chicago. The Sunday 10:30 a.m. service is livestreamed on YouTube, and a library of past Sunday services is available for replay. Truth Transforms, a podcast hosted by Senior Assistant Minister Rev. Gaylon McDowell, focuses on forgiveness, spiritual healing, prosperity, meditation, mind power, and metaphysical Bible interpretation, and is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Podbean, and other podcast apps.
The Music Ministry / Temple Ensemble provides music each Sunday, and volunteers are welcome to join the team as singers, instrumentalists, or section leaders. The Music Department also coordinates the Praise Sensations dancers.
Becoming a Member and Getting Connected
Prospective members complete a membership form, view a New Member Orientation video, and participate in a spiritual baptism. Baptism is offered for adults, youth (ages 3-12), and infants (ages 0-2). A Digital Connect Card is available online for visitors who want the church to follow up.
Volunteers are always needed across the church: as ushers, greeters, bookstore hosts, prayer ministers, safety team members, audio/video technicians, mail room assistants, section leaders, and youth ministry helpers. For anyone who wants to talk with a minister or arrange pastoral care, the main number is 773-568-2282, or contactus@cutemple.org.