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Led by spirit, we recognize God within everyone as we co-create infinite love, peace and abundance in our global community.
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Unity in the Heart is a vibrant spiritual community that inspires personal transformation through the experience and expression of God within, and the healing power of authentic community.
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Everyone Expresses God.
We are: Spirit-centered; Welcoming; Inclusive; Loving; Relevant.
Our History
Unity in the Heart was co-founded in the fall of 2001 by those who sensed a need for a Unity presence on the east side of the Twin Cities.
The following April the young congregation moved to its current location at the Triune Masonic Temple, a beautiful 100-year-old historic building located near Marshall and Fairview.
Rev. Edward Conrad and his wife Katherine Conrad co-founded Unity in the Heart in 2001.
Rev. Laurie Brandt served this dynamic family congregation from 2005-2017.
Rev. Sher McNeal (interim minister) led us from 2018-2019.
Guest speakers led us through 2020.
Rev. Ray Nelson has been leading our community, exploring Unity/New Thought ideas and spiritual development, since November 2020.
Music, meditation and inspirational message are the centerpiece of our weekly services, based on our founders and our founding principles. We are grateful to the multitude of gifted musicians that pass through our doors as guest artists each week, including some of the most well-known Twin Cities luminaries from the worlds of folk, gospel, R&B, jazz, and musical theater.
In addition to nurturing our own spirituality, we are committed to giving back to our community through volunteer activities and financial support, and getting together on a regular basis just for fun.
If you'd like to be part of a happy, spiritually evolving family, please join us on Sundays at 10:30 am!
NOTE that we are unable to offer childcare at this time. ALSO: The historic Triune Masonic Temple IS NOT handicap-accessible at this time. There are plans for an elevator to be installed in the future, and fundraising for this project is ongoing. There is a restroom on the main floor that is accessible to everyone, with a lock provided for privacy. (It is normally a communal restroom for men who are regular attendees at the Temple.)
Music, meditation and inspirational message
are the centerpiece of our weekly service.
Meet the Minister
Rev. Ray Nelson
Minister/Spiritual Leader
Rev. Raymond Nelson joined Unity in the Heart of the Twin Cities on November 1, 2020, as the new Minister/Spiritual Leader. He comes to us with a wealth of training and experience. In 2008, Rev. Ray received a Master of Divinity from the United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities. He graduated with a Master of Divinity from Unity Institute in Kansas City and was licensed and ordained a Unity minister in 2011; he also holds a BS in Political Science and Urban Economics from Northern Illinois University and has completed additional training in personal coaching, non-violent communication, and church leadership.
Rev. Ray is the past president of Unity Great Lakes Region Board of Trustees and is currently an at-large member of the Great Lakes Board. He also currently serves as an Adjunct Professor of Online Ministerial Education for UWSI, and is the Internship Coordinator and Academic Advisor for the UWSI Ministerial Program. He is also the spiritual director/chaplain of the Benedictine Living skilled nursing center in South Minneapolis.
Rev. Ray, his wife Robin, and their two cats returned to the Twin Cities in 2019 after he served as the senior minister of Unity of Louisville for seven years. In his spare time, Rev. Ray enjoys the theater, live music, and the arts. He is a life-long learner, enjoying reading and study and a contemplative walk in the woods or around the lakes with his beloved wife Robin. Rev. Ray is a long-time member of AA and is proud of his 30 years of addiction recovery.
Paula Lammers
Music Director
On Sunday, Feb. 12, 2023, Paula Lammers joined as the new Music Director for Unity in the Heart. Paula has been a regular Guest Musician at UITH over the past several years. She assumes the position vacated by Daniel Abdon in June of 2021, and filled temporarily as a volunteer by Mary Kopet. Mary will continue as the Music Liaison to the Board of Trustees.
Paula Lammers has been active as a performer and teacher in the Twin Cities music community for over 30 years. She is on staff at MacPhail Center for Music, where she has worked in the Music for Life Department along with teaching private voice lessons. Paula has a diverse background in singing, where she has sung everything from big band to opera to musical theater to jazz and pop music. She looks forward to sharing her passion for communicating and for raising vibration through music with the Unity in the Heart Community.
Dennis Curley
Pianist
Dennis Curley is Unity in the Heart’s regular Sunday accompanist and frequent guest soloist. Dennis is a native of Syracuse, NY, and a graduate of Northwestern University (Evanston, IL). He has composed, directed and performed in a wide variety of musical and theatrical productions, including the Church Basement Ladies series, Psych 101, and The Theater of Public Policy. Dennis has also taught musical improv classes for the Brave New Workshop and is a co-founder and executive producer of Table Salt Productions. He tours the upper midwest with his John Denver tribute show, Country Roads, and his all-original Americana group Honeywine. You can find the details of his musical and theatrical accomplishments, as well as his performance calendar, at DennisCurley.com.