History of Unity Five Cities and San Luis Obispo
On January 6, 2026 two longtime Central Coast spiritual communities were reunified. Unity Five Cities, established in 1999, and Unity San Luis Obispo, established in 1929, together create more than a century of combined spiritual service to California’s Central Coast.
By creatively joining resources, Unity Five Cities and San Luis Obispo offer expanded programs, enriched music, and broader opportunities for spiritual education and community outreach. Together, we celebrate a new chapter of spiritual purpose, and possibility.
Unity Five Cities started in November, 1999 at Peaceful Point in Arroyo Grande under the spiritual leadership of Licensed Unity Teachers Martha Aivaz, Patty Morales and Therese Solimeno. With love, joy and a growing membership, Unity Five Cities moved to the current venue at 789 Valley Rd., Arroyo Grande in April, 2001.
Unity San Luis Obispo started in 1929 and contributed to the spiritual and personal growth of the San Luis Obispo and near-by communities for just under 100 years. The Ministry of Rev. Richard Levy in the 1990’s followed by Rev. Leona Evens were a vibrant and positive influence for many in our current congregation and community.
Today, the reunified Unity Five Cities and San Luis Obispo, led by Rev. Brian Walker, is a Full Status Ministry affiliated with Unity Worldwide Ministries. We are also a member of the Unity West Central Region which supports the creation of vibrant, diverse, spiritual leaders and communities by providing opportunities for spiritual growth, education, leadership development, networking and fellowship.
Foundations of the Unity Movement
The Unity movement was founded by Charles and Myrtle Fillmore. After Myrtle Fillmore's remarkable healing utilizing prayer and affirmations, many who were seeking help became interested in how she accomplished this healing. From small prayer circles in living rooms, Unity grew. The first issue of Unity Magazine was published in 1889. The teaching of the practice of prayer, through classes and correspondence, led to the establishment of Unity School, where the prayer ministry, Silent Unity, began, along with Unity School for Religious Studies, and a publishing arm for magazines and books. These services still exist today, under the name Unity®
In 1965, the Association of Unity Churches was formed by ministers and churches for the purpose of focusing on establishing new churches, supporting existing ones, ordaining ministers and licensing teachers. To this day, we are a worldwide movement of about 1,000 churches and groups supporting individuals on their spiritual path by offering communities of like-minded believers.
In the 1880s Charles and Myrtle Fillmore, co-founders of Unity began to work with some new ideas about life that they had found. Charles had a withered leg; Myrtle had tuberculosis. But in a short time, she was healed, and his health was so much improved that other people, seeing the changes in them, were drawn to them to find out how they, too, could change.
The Fillmore's had no thought of starting a new religion; they just wanted to help themselves and others who turned to them for help. In 1889 they began to publish a little magazine called "Modern Thought", which a few years later they renamed "Unity." In this magazine, they represented the ideas that had helped them heal themselves and find peace and strength. These ideas are simple. They are centered around two basic propositions:
(1) God is good. (2) God is available; in fact, God is in you.