A Spiritual Center at Folsom and Valmont
Unity of Boulder Spiritual Center sits on the corner of Folsom and Valmont in Old North Boulder, a large building that anchors the neighborhood with its 300-space private parking lot, a sanctuary that seats 450 in pews and accommodates another 150 in folding chairs, and a quiet meditation room open to the public every day from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. The center is reachable by public transportation and lies within walking distance of the 29th Street Mall, the University of Colorado Boulder campus, and the Pearl Street Mall. The mailing address is 2855 Folsom Street, Boulder, Colorado 80304, and the office can be reached at 303-442-1411 or info@unityofboulder.com.
Unity of Boulder is a non-profit spiritual center that lives entirely on local donations. Its mission statement reads: "We are a light in the world, centered in Spirit, inspiring acceptance, peace, love, and transformation as we live into the unlimited possibilities of Spirit." The vision reaches further: "We see a world transformed by awakened hearts - where gratitude, compassion, and spiritual wisdom guide humanity into peace, healing, and wholeness." The core values listed by the center are love, inclusivity, integrity, spiritual growth, service, joy, peace, compassion, and community.
The center teaches a positive, practical spirituality drawn from "the inspired writings and teachings of enlightened people of every historical period and culture." It acknowledges God, or Spirit, as "the omnipresent, creative and healing source within each and every person." Sunday services, weekly classes, meditations, and discussion groups all feed into a single stated purpose: "Advancing the movement of spiritual awakening and transformation through Unity, a positive path for spiritual living." A monthly giving circle called the Light Forward Fund helps preserve the building that holds the community and the ministry inside it.
Two Sunday Services, Two Rhythms
On Sunday mornings the building hosts two distinctly different services, so visitors can choose the rhythm that suits them.
The 9:00 a.m. service is quiet and meditative. It opens with call-and-response chants and Tibetan singing bowls, then moves into a talk by Jack Groverland, an ordained Unity minister who led the center for forty years and now serves as Minister Emeritus. The hour-long format favors depth over volume and is described as offering "a deep, insightful message."
The 11:00 a.m. service is the louder, more contemporary offering. It features upbeat, positive music performed by local and national artists, followed by an inspirational, heart-centered message from Syntysche Groverland, the Senior Unity Minister. The center calls this hour an "updated version of the Sunday church service" and a "Universal Spiritual Experience" that "embraces the commonalities of all walks of faith on the spiritual path." Both services are held in person and livestreamed online, so anyone can join from home.
Free childcare and a full youth program run during both services. The nursery welcomes infants through age four; Unity Kids, ages five through ten, gather downstairs in the Children's Spiritual Experience Room for guided meditation, Unity principles, music, crafts, yoga, and other creative activities; Uniteens, in grades five through eight, meet with their facilitator in the Uniteens Room; and Youth of Unity (Y.O.U.), high schoolers in grades nine through twelve, gather in the YOU Room for their own discussion and fellowship. Donations are appreciated but no one is turned away for lack of funds.
After both services, anyone who would like company in prayer is invited to stay in their seat. Prayer Partners move through the sanctuary to pray one-on-one with whoever remains, a practice the center calls "surround prayer." Spiritual counseling sessions with a minister can also be scheduled by phone or in person.
Wednesday Nights in the Meditation Room
The Wednesday Healing Prayer Mid-Week Service gathers at 7:00 p.m. and runs about an hour. Norma Bigtree Groverland opens the gathering with meditative singing and mystical chanting. Jack Groverland then offers a brief, divinely inspired guided reflection. Live sound healing with Tibetan singing bowls follows, played by Norma. The service closes with a "call for transformative healing" prayer led by Norma over the names submitted to the center's prayer box that week. Free childcare is provided, and a love offering is collected. After the service, the fellowship continues in the OM Books & Gifts shop with complimentary tea and cookies until 8:30 p.m.
Anyone can submit a prayer request by writing a name on paper in the prayer box inside the center or by sending one in through the online prayer request form. Each name remains in the box for thirty days, prayed over every Wednesday, and is then forwarded to Silent Unity, a 24-hour prayer ministry headquartered at Unity Village, Missouri, that has been receiving prayer requests for more than 125 years. Silent Unity can be reached around the clock at 1-816-969-2000, through its online prayer ministry, or via the UPray smartphone app for iOS and Android.
Unity of Boulder also maintains a Daily Word Devotional Dial-A-Prayer line at 303-447-1200, available for anyone who wants a short devotional reading or to leave a prayer request by phone.
The Groverland Family at the Heart of the Center
Unity of Boulder has been shaped over four decades by the ministry of the Groverland family. Jack Groverland, an ordained Unity minister, served as Senior Minister for forty years. He continues in an advisory role on the Ministry Team and is a frequent guest speaker at both Sunday services and the Wednesday gathering. His wife, Norma Bigtree Groverland, served for the same forty years as Music Director, leading what the center calls the "acclaimed Unity Choir." Now Music Director Emeritus, she continues to lead the Sacred Feminine group, the Wednesday sound healing, the seasonal choir rehearsals, and the autumnal Equinox ceremonies. Their daughter, Syntysche Groverland, is the current Senior Unity Minister. The center describes her as "a master story teller and a truly remarkable spiritual teacher" whose "authentic, vulnerable presence" resonates with the congregation.
Youth Spiritual Discovery: From Nursery to High School
The Youth Spiritual Discovery program is built on a single conviction: "if we can help a child step onto the path of Self Realization at an early age, the foundation will be set for a brighter, happier future, and the self-awareness and self confidence they gain by knowing themselves will benefit not only the child, but the planet at large." Children learn that they have divine potential within them and are taught meditation and daily affirmations as tools for shaping a loving world. The curriculum also opens a window onto other cultural beliefs, religions, mythology, history, and spirituality, so children can "make their own decisions about spirituality" as they grow.
Children's Spiritual Experience, the Sunday school, meets for children ages three through ten during the 11:00 a.m. service in the Children's Spiritual Experience Room downstairs. Michele Pullo directs the program. Each week includes guided meditation, the Unity principles, music, crafts, yoga, and other creative activities. The center asks families to commit to bringing their children for one month; the promise is that the children will make new friends and love it.
Uniteens, for grades five through eight, meets at 11:00 a.m. on Sundays in the Uniteens Room with facilitator Heather Bilyeu. The middle-school group is "an environment of unconditional love and acceptance" that introduces kids to "a service oriented, heart centered, contemplative and grateful life," with lessons in environmental awareness, uplifting others, the Unity principles, and inner reflection.
Youth of Unity (Y.O.U.) is the high school chapter for grades nine through twelve, meeting Sundays at 11:00 a.m. in the YOU Room under Director Melinda Malek, who has been a Y.O.U. sponsor since 2006 and the director since 2012. The chapter attends several Unity Youth Rallies throughout the year, hosts its own "Lock-Ins" (overnight slumber parties), and runs fundraisers for the homeless, including bake sales and a summer car wash. All youth leaders and volunteers are fully background checked.
On Sundays from 10:45 a.m. to noon, the wider Unity Youth Group for Kids of All Ages gathers children from nursery through high school for team-building, nature appreciation, introduction to spiritual practices, meditation, music, stories, creative arts, discussion, service projects, affirmative prayer, and games. There is no charge, though donations are welcome, and no pre-registration is required.
Affirmative Prayer and the Prayer Team
Unity teaches Affirmative Prayer, the practice of aligning with the divine and speaking the highest truth about a situation rather than pleading or bargaining. The center puts it simply: "Prayer is always answered with the highest and best outcome."
The Prayer Team meets in person in the Prayer Room downstairs on the first and third Thursdays of each month from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. The team gathers in a talking circle to support one another's prayer and meditation practice, and training is available for anyone who would like to become a Prayer Partner. Prayer Partners are the volunteers who pray with congregants after Sunday services. Prayer requests submitted to the center stay in the prayer box for thirty days, are prayed over each Wednesday, and are then passed on to Silent Unity for another thirty days of prayer.
For anyone in immediate need of prayer, the Silent Unity prayer line at 1-816-969-2000 is staffed 24 hours a day, and prayer requests can also be sent online or via the UPray smartphone app.
Study Groups, Meditation, and the A Course in Miracles Path
Unity of Boulder runs a dense calendar of recurring small groups, most of them meeting weekly or monthly. The largest of these is A Course in Miracles (ACIM), a year-long study group that begins each fall and runs through the following year. Graduates who want to keep going join the ACIM Perennials Group, a weekly study that meets Tuesdays from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.
The Meditation Practice Group meets weekly for silent group meditation. The Emptiness Meditation Practice Group, led by Rigpa Lijoi, gathers on the first and third Mondays of each month from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m., with an optional Kundalini Yoga session at 6:30 p.m. beforehand. The Conscious Communication Practice Group is a space to learn compassionate communication. The Singles Group is a place for spiritually minded adults to meet one another. The Seniors Sharing Wisdom Group, for those 60 and over, meets on Thursdays from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m., with the center providing tea and cookies while presenters share resources on health, healing, spirituality, end-of-life planning, relationships, finances, and senior programs in Boulder County.
The Alternative Healing Remedies Group gathers to share natural healing remedies given to humanity by the Creator, with a new remedy discussed at each meeting. The Sacred Feminine group, led by Norma Groverland, is another regular offering for women. Open Source Spirituality, a young adults group for ages 18 to 25, meets on Sundays from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. for spiritual discussion, outdoor activities, retreats, and fellowship.
Unity of Boulder also hosts community support groups that use its space but are not led by the center. DBSA Boulder, a peer-led support group for adults living with mood disorders, meets in person at the center on Sundays from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.; friends and family are welcome on the first Sunday of each month. Helping Parents Heal, a non-profit for bereaved parents, also meets monthly at the center. Entry to DBSA is through the west side door.
The Unity Choir and Sunday Music
Music has been a defining feature of Unity of Boulder for forty years, the length of Norma Bigtree Groverland's tenure as Music Director. The center's Unity Choir has earned a reputation across Boulder, and Norma continues to lead Sacred Feminine singing and the seasonal rehearsals for the Christmas and Easter productions.
The choir meets seasonally for Christmas and Easter productions and for special performances. The Sunday Music Team performs every week and is always looking for singers and instrumentalists who can commit to at least two Sundays a month.
Wellness, Movement, and Healing Arts
The building also functions as a wellness center, with weekly classes in movement and healing arts. Wednesdays from 11:00 a.m. to noon bring Qigong for Everyone with Shanti Medina, an introduction to a 4,000-year-old healing practice of breathwork, slow movement, and guided meditation. Feldenkrais Lessons run Fridays from 10:30 to 11:15 a.m., focusing on awareness through gentle movement. Kundalini Yoga with Rigpa Lijoi meets Fridays from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.; participants bring their own mat, blanket, or sheepskin.
On the first Friday of every month at 7:00 p.m., Scott Medina leads the Universal Dance of Peace, a circle dance practice that weaves together sacred phrases, chants, music, and movement from many wisdom traditions. On the third Friday of each month, Bruce White hosts a Sound Circle & Energy Healing Sound Bath from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. in the meditation room, with crystal bowl vibrations and first-peoples influenced energy healing. On the fourth Friday, an Open Poetry Reading & Acoustic Open Mic Night begins at 6:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall.
Class series come and go throughout the year. Recent examples include Prosperity Secrets of the Ages with Syntysche Groverland, a five-week journey into abundance; Practicing Peace Inside and Out, a four-week series with Cathy Comstock; and Women's Wisdom Wellness for Radiant Health, a five-week Monday evening series with Brigitte Mars and Shanti Medina covering herbal protocols, hormone balance, and the Radiant Lotus Women's Qigong form.
Outreach Beyond Boulder: Wounded Knee, Harvest of Hope, and Local Giving
Unity of Boulder runs an unusually far-reaching outreach program for a community-sized spiritual center. The largest annual effort is the Holiday Gift Drive for the Lakota children and elders of the Community of Wounded Knee, South Dakota. Each year the center collects food for the community holiday dinner and gifts for the children's Christmas party, then loads a 25-foot truck and drives the donations to the Pine Ridge Reservation just before Christmas. Donations are accepted year-round, including non-perishable food, gifts for elders (space heaters, blankets, winter outerwear, socks), new toys, bicycles, and school supplies. The center also accepts financial contributions toward travel expenses, fuel, and truck rental.
Locally, the center hosts an ongoing food drive for Harvest of Hope Food Pantry, which serves low-income individuals and families across Boulder County. Barrels are posted outside the main entrance for non-perishable donations and toiletries. The center also collects Dignity Bags and winter coats for low-income seniors and unhoused neighbors in Boulder, contributes to the Emergency Family Assistance Association, and hosts a Thanksgiving potluck outreach on Thanksgiving Day that is open to the wider Boulder community. Online giving supports all of these programs along with the center's staff, maintenance, weekly services, classes, support groups, and seasonal events.
The Building as a Community Resource
Beyond its own programs, Unity of Boulder rents its spaces to outside groups. The Sanctuary or Auditorium seats up to 450 in the pews with room for another 150 in folding chairs, is equipped with a state-of-the-art digital sound and lighting system, a full video projection system for presentations and video, both wired and wireless microphones, and includes a sound technician with the rental fee. The Meeting Hall or Dance Studio accommodates up to 150 people and features hardwood floors, a wall of full-length mirrors, tables and chairs, a small PA system, and direct access to a fully equipped kitchen with two ovens, a refrigerator, and counter space, making it well suited to dance, yoga, workshops, and life celebrations.
The Meditation or Retreat Center is a quiet room designed for sitting or lying down, with no chairs allowed. It includes soft, carpeted built-in sitting platforms with pillows, ambient lighting, a life-size mural of nature, and a small stage with a mirrored crystal altar as the backdrop, making it ideal for sound healings, meditation classes, vocal toning, and healing arts.
The full 300-space parking lot is one of the center's strongest draws for renters. Other similarly sized venues in the area are limited to street or public parking. The facility hosts weddings, quinceañeras, memorials, music concerts, speaker events, dance and yoga classes, workshops, meetings, and retreats.
Beliefs and the Unity Tradition
Unity of Boulder belongs to the Unity movement, often described as a positive, practical, inclusive Christianity that emphasizes personal spiritual experience over doctrine. The center puts it this way: "In Unity, we focus on the message that unites and brings us together. No matter who we are or what we believe, we are all bound by the same Truth - we are made in the image and likeness of God."
The center teaches that Spirit is "the omnipresent, creative and healing source within each and every person," that humanity is "in the midst of a spiritual evolution," and that "we will find these solutions through love, a united purpose, and prayer." It draws on "the inspired writings and teachings of enlightened people of every historical period and culture," including A Course in Miracles, which has its own study program and graduate group. The LGBTQ+ in Unity section and the welcoming language throughout the center reflect an explicit commitment to inclusivity as one of the core values.
The center is affiliated with Unity Worldwide Ministries, the parent body that also runs Silent Unity at Unity Village, Missouri. Silent Unity's 24-hour prayer line, founded more than 125 years ago, fields calls, letters, and emails from people around the world and continues to be a core piece of Unity of Boulder's prayer life.
Visiting Unity of Boulder
Sunday services are held at 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m., in person and livestreamed. The Wednesday Healing Prayer Mid-Week Service is held at 7:00 p.m., in person and livestreamed. Free nursery care is offered at every service, and the full youth program for children, Uniteens, and Y.O.U. runs during the 11:00 a.m. service and the wider Sunday morning program. Visitors are not expected to dress in any particular way; the center asks only that people come as they are. Donations are appreciated but never required.
After either Sunday service, anyone who would like company in prayer is invited to remain in their seat; Prayer Partners will come and pray with you. Spiritual counseling sessions with one of the ministers can be scheduled by calling the office at 303-442-1411.
The gift shop, OM Books & Gifts, is open Tuesday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and on Sundays before and after the 11:00 service. The meditation room is open every day from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. for anyone who would like a quiet space. Online giving is available through the center, including a no-fee PayPal Charity Fund option, recurring gifts, bank transfers, and estate planning.
Unity of Boulder Spiritual Center is a non-profit spiritual community in Old North Boulder that gathers around weekly worship, lifelong study, healing prayer, service to neighbors in Boulder, and an annual gift drive that reaches all the way to the Lakota community at Wounded Knee. The center's belief is simple: "We are dedicated to being that change we wish to see in the world."