Sunday Mornings on Orange Road
At 84 Orange Road in Montclair, a century-old community gathers each Sunday at 11:00 AM for a celebration service that runs about an hour and fifteen minutes. The doors open to a welcoming, diverse, and loving congregation. Welcome Ambassadors greet visitors at the entrance, and a Celebration Assistant may invite newcomers to raise a hand during service so a Welcome Packet with a small gift can be presented. The order of the morning moves from singing to meditative silence to sermon, weaving together congregational singing, a guided meditation, an inspiring message, affirmative prayer, and friendly fellowship with light refreshments afterward in the Fellowship Hall.
Sunday Celebration services are also live streamed on Zoom and Facebook Live, so friends near and far can be part of the gathering. To receive the weekly Zoom link, sign up for the church's weekly email. A sermon archive going back several years is available as a podcast, with messages from Rev. Lesley Miller and guest speakers including Rev. Robert Yarnall, Rev. Juan Enrique Toro, and Ramananda John Welshons.
Street parking is ample, though Sunday is busy in the neighborhood, so arriving a few minutes early helps. Dress is whatever makes a person comfortable - jeans, business wear, or a favorite Sunday outfit are all welcome.
The Five Principles, and Two More
Unity of Montclair teaches the five basic principles of the Unity movement, and adds two more for its own spiritual practice.
God Is. God is the source and creator of all. There is no other enduring power. God is good and present everywhere.
I Am. We are spiritual beings, created in God's image. The spirit of God lives within each person; therefore all people are inherently good.
I Think. We create our life experiences through our way of thinking.
I Pray. There is power in affirmative prayer, which increases our awareness of God.
I Do. Knowledge of these spiritual principles is not enough. We must live them.
At Unity of Montclair, two additional principles shape the community's practice:
I Remember. We suffer when we forget the truth about God and ourselves, either individually or collectively.
I Belong. Belonging to a spiritual community supports and deepens my experience of God.
Within the wider Unity movement, the teaching is described as a positive, practical, progressive approach to Christianity based on the teachings of Jesus and the power of prayer. Unity honors the universal truths in all religions and respects each individual's right to choose a spiritual path. Jesus is honored as a great example rather than a great exception, the Christ is understood as the divinity in all humankind, and the Bible is read as history and allegory with metaphysical interpretation. God is named in many ways in Unity - Life, Light, Love, Substance, Principle, Law, Universal Mind - and is never seen as a being separate from us.
A Living Music Ministry
Quoting Aldous Huxley, the Music Ministry says, "After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music." The program at Unity of Montclair lifts spiritual consciousness, opens the heart, and touches the soul, with a range as diverse as the congregation itself - gospel to folk, jazz to rock n' roll, New Age to New Thought, instrumental to lyric-based, traditional to original.
Music Director Carol Vasquez leads the program. The church regularly hosts world-class professional guest soloists, including Ted Brancato, Matt King, Bobby Harden, Jane Stuart, The Levins, Dave Stryker, Rick De Kovessey, Jackie Jones, Wincey, Dave Rimelis, Lynette Sheard, and Tamara Williams. All music subject to copyright is performed and broadcast under license from Christian Copyright Solutions or emPOWER Music.
The Practice of Affirmative Prayer and Meditation
Prayer and meditation are intimately linked in Unity practice. Members sit in the silence as the gateway to connection with God and engage in affirmative prayer that lovingly accepts the reality of what is, holding that all is as it should be.
Affirmative prayer is the highest form of creative thought. It includes releasing counterproductive negative thoughts and holding in mind statements of spiritual truth. Rather than asking God for something specific, the prayer connects with the spirit of God within and asserts positive beliefs about the desired outcome. Co-founder Charles Fillmore wrote, "We have been so persistently taught that prayer consists in asking God for some human need that we have lost sight of our spiritual identity and have become a race of praying beggars." Unity teaches the practice as an awakening to inner divinity.
Members pray to the "Christ within," the "Buddha within," or their "divine nature" - all understood as the same spark of divinity in every person. As Fillmore also wrote, "Above all, practice the presence of God in prayer." Meditation is described as the act of going inward and quieting the mind, a powerful tool for deepening awareness of the inner self.
A Century on Orange Road
Unity of Montclair began in 1924 on Claremont Avenue in Montclair, New Jersey, with Ms. Elizabeth Blackmore as leader. For a while, the group met in public buildings in the area and then returned to private homes. In 1929, a new leader, Ella Pomeroy, took over. Mrs. Pomeroy was a remarkable figure - among other accomplishments, she learned to swim at age 80. She also started a Unity center in Brooklyn, New York, and had a book published in 1948.
After eleven years, Mrs. Pomeroy turned the Montclair group over to Rev. Gladys Stevenson in 1939. The Unity Society became a Unity center two years later. After incorporation in 1951, plans began to build a permanent church home on land that had been donated. On November 4, 1962, the first Sunday service was held in the new sanctuary at 84 Orange Road, on a plot of land donated by Peter and Lilly M. Swenson.
The name was changed to Montclair Unity Church in 1965, and official membership in the Association of Unity Churches came in 1966. In 2008, to align with the vision of the greater Unity movement, the name was changed to Unity of Montclair.
Senior Ministers have included Rev. Marlowe Kline (1967-1977), Rev. Phyllis Crichlow (1994-2005), Rev. Erin McCabe (2006-2011), Rev. Elizabeth Mora (2012-2018), and, most recently, Rev. Lesley Miller. For several years, Sunday services were held at the nearby Montclair Women's Club, and were moved back to the expanded sanctuary at 84 Orange Road in 2016.
A Course in Miracles, Six Mornings a Week
Unity of Montclair hosts a daily A Course in Miracles practice group that meets Monday through Saturday at 9:00 AM via Zoom, facilitated by Rev. Lesley Miller. The group welcomes people at any stage of the Course - no materials are necessary and there is no cost. Participants bring their questions and experiences with the text, and the morning includes workbook practice or meditation alongside a review of the day's lesson.
Prayer Chaplains on the Phone
The Prayer Chaplain Ministry is one of the most distinctive features of the church. After Sunday Celebration services, Prayer Chaplains are available to affirmatively pray with anyone who wishes - whether for issues that are troubling them or to celebrate and give thanks. Members of the community may also call (973) 833-3365 to request a Prayer Chaplain return their call, or email prayerrequest@unityofmontclair.org.
Prayer Chaplains also call church members once a month to offer supportive prayer. For many members, this is the best phone call they get each month. The ministry hosts regular events including Soul Connection, the World Day of Prayer, Good Friday, and a Pet Blessing.
Silent Unity, the movement's 24-hour telephone and online prayer ministry, is always available toll-free at 1-800-NOW-PRAY (669-7729), and prayer requests can be submitted online.
Honoring Diversity in a Suburban Community
Unity of Montclair's own community reflects the diversity of the New York City suburbs. The congregation is open and welcoming to people of every race, ethnicity, gender, age, and sexual orientation, and accepts all spiritual paths. The ministry has stated a commitment to be free of discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender, age, creed, religion, national origin, ethnicity, physical disability, gender identity, gender expression, or sexual orientation.
The church has explored issues of racism through Spiritual Growth Groups studying works by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Dr. Catherine Meeks, and holds an annual Black HerStory Celebration. The ministry also points to the broader Unity movement's resources for LGBTQ inclusion and diversity.
Service Teams, Youth, and Spiritual Growth
There are many ways to be part of the church beyond Sunday morning. Service Teams include Audio Technology, Bookstore, Building Maintenance, Celebration Assistants, Church Support, Communications, Hospitality, Prayer Chaplains, Spiritual Growth Groups, Welcome Ambassadors, and Youth and Family.
The Youth and Family Program meets in person on the 1st and 3rd Sundays during the 11:00 AM service. Children expand their spiritual consciousness in their own space with age-appropriate activities. Virtual youth gatherings for ages 7-10 are also held via Zoom. As co-founder Myrtle Fillmore said, "our mission is not to entertain the children, but to call them out."
Spiritual Growth Groups convene twice a year to study and discuss a work by a major author. Past authors studied include Unity founder Charles Fillmore, Deepak Chopra, Eckhart Tolle, Eric Butterworth, and Byron Katie. Some classes fall within Unity's Spiritual Education and Enrichment (SEE) program, which provides credits toward becoming a Licensed Unity Teacher or Unity Minister. Members also gather for occasional retreats such as the Spiritual Spa, with private sessions for prayer, meditation, and renewal.
Becoming a Member and Giving
Members of Unity of Montclair commit to pursuing their own spiritual path and tithing their time, talent, or treasure as they are able. Member benefits include voting at Town Hall and Annual Meetings, voting in Board of Trustee elections and on major decisions, receiving monthly prayer calls from Prayer Chaplains, and serving on the Board of Trustees, as Celebration Assistants, Prayer Chaplains, or Licensed Unity Teachers.
Becoming a member requires attendance at Unity of Montclair for a minimum of six months, completion of Lessons in Truth or Metaphysics I, and attendance at a church orientation session. Children under 18 can become members but cannot vote until 18. The vision of the community is "One in spirit, we experience a world awakened to higher consciousness," and the mission is "We are a vibrant, inclusive, spiritual community transforming lives through inspiration, sacred service and life-long learning."
Giving sustains the ministry and the church community. Donations can be made online by credit card or PayPal, mailed to 84 Orange Road, set up as automatic monthly payments through a personal bank, or arranged as a bequest through the church office.