ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, October 5, 1996 TAG: 9610080026
SECTION: RELIGION PAGE: B-9 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: CODY LOWE STAFF WRITER
It's been 25 years since a newly ordained minister from Norfolk named Kathryn Doyle visited the Roanoke Valley to meet with a group inquiring about the possibility of starting a Unity church here.
Doyle and Joyce Kramer, another Unity minister, met that summer with about 35 people at what is now the Salem Civic Center to answer questions and explain what would be involved in organizing a congregation.
Before she caught a plane out of town that night, a "core group" of those inquirers told Doyle they would guarantee her a salary of $500 a month for three months if she would come back as an organizer.
In August of that year, Doyle moved to Roanoke, set up a dial-a-prayer service in her home, and started planning services.
Her first sermon, "The Nourishing of an Idea," was given to a congregation of about 35.
Today, an average of about 180 adults and another 60 to 70 children attend services at Unity of Roanoke Valley, said the current minister, the Rev. Jim Fisher.
The Unity School of Practical Christianity was organized about 130 years ago by Charles and Myrtle Fillmore as they sought an "affirmative prayer approach" to relieve their physical illnesses. After studying a number of ancient and modern philosophies and religions - from Christian Science to Hinduism - the Fillmores articulated the Unity approach to what they deemed a practical, daily application of Christ's teachings.
Fisher said his congregation's mission statement, formulated in conjunction with its 25th anniversary celebration, summarized "the most central characterization" of the faith: "to experience and express God's indwelling presence."
The religion teaches that Jesus was the perfect human being who was able to reach of state of revealing "God within."
Unity practitioners believe "we are called to do just as Jesus did," Fisher said, including striving to "reveal God within us."
Many Unity members believe in reincarnation, Fisher said, as part of the process of acquiring a spiritual body to replace the physical one and become like Christ.
It is a religious philosophy that has continued to attract adherents during the church's 21/2 decades here.
Soon after starting her work here, Doyle married a native of England, Alan Rowbotham, who also was a Unity minister. They developed the ministry together, meeting in homes, civic centers, schools and hotels.
The congregation purchased land at 3300 Green Ridge Road N.W. and moved into a new building there in the spring of 1977.
In 1979, the Rowbothams left to work at the headquarters of the Association of Unity Churches in Unity Village, Mo. In March 1982, they returned for a second ministerial appointment here, taking over for Rebecca Lynne, who had been their replacement.
Over the next six years the church facilities were expanded, and the congregation continued to grow. The Rowbothams left the congregation again in 1994 to serve a St. Petersburg, Fla., church.
Fisher arrived in December of that year.
The 25th anniversary celebration began this weekend and continues through Oct. 13.
The Rowbothams are presenting a workshop on "Nurturing Your Soul" today from 9:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. and will conduct services at the church on Sunday.
On Tuesday night, church members and friends will share anecdotes of the congregation's history in the church lounge.
Oct. 12, the Rev. Glenn Mosley, president and CEO of the Association of Unity Churches, will conduct a workshop on "Ancient and Modern Healing Arts: A Present Day Experience." He will lead services the next day, which will be followed by a potluck lunch and entertainment.
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