Like most of us raised in the Southeast, Jamie Sanders had a traditional Christian upbringing. And like so many of us eventually do, he also had a crisis of faith. Christ’s message of love and compassion spoke to him; the message coming from the pulpit and pews did not.

“I desired to have a connection with God, but was often taken aback by some of the negativity and shame that was placed upon individuals, so for a while I quit going to church,” he says.

Then a friend told him about Unity, a positive, inclusive faith community with a grassroots feel but a worldwide reach. “The next day, surprisingly, I pulled up in front of the Unity Center and went inside. My life changed forever,” he says.

When Charles and Myrtle Fillmore founded Unity in 1889, they intended it as a complement rather than an alternative to organized religion, Sanders says.

“The idea was to gather with those who were seeking healing and to have a deeper understanding of their own personal relationship with Spirit. People from various denominations would come to Unity Farm (in Missouri) in the early years after their own Sunday services to study, pray and learn how to enhance whatever connection they found themselves drawn to.”

As the movement grew, Unity churches, centers and study groups were created. The advent of the internet spread the message of peace even further. Today there are Unity groups around the world—including Unity of Pensacola, where Sanders now leads Sunday services for an eclectic community of 140 to 160 spiritual seekers. There’s no dogma with Unity, and no rite of worship—just openness, affirmation and prayer. 

“Each church has its own energy, and yet our teachings are based on what Jesus taught about being kind, loving and compassionate,” he says. “We teach forgiveness and acceptance, and we believe that through the art and practice of affirmative prayer and meditation, we transform our lives. We remind individuals that they have the power within them to change any situation from the appearance of negative to positive when they practice the principles in their lives daily.”

At Unity of Pensacola, that message comes with a powerful dual-delivery system: music and humor. 

“Great music—upbeat messages of hope and overcoming challenges—empowers people,” Sanders says. “They leave feeling they can face the world a little bit taller, with their heads held higher and their hearts filled with gratitude. I’m the minister, and that’s how I drive away each Sunday on my way home.”

Laughter can be just as healing, he says, and when people feel that it’s “safe” to laugh, they’re emotionally open to his message. “People tend to respond to a message when they feel it far more than when they just hear it. We don’t yell at people, but we remind them who they are—that they are indeed the beloved of God, and that God is always active and present within them.” 

Few churchgoers would describe their Sunday mornings as “fun,” but that’s an assessment Sanders hears from visitors to Unity’s 10 a.m. services. Members of the community love to laugh, he says, and they engage with each other based on what they have in common, not on what they don’t. The result is a positive, supportive atmosphere for spiritual awakening, although ultimately it’s up to each individual to turn that energy into something transformational. 

“Spirituality is personal,” he says. “It’s a lifestyle of awakening and transformation; some people are ready and some are not. It’s been said that when the student is ready, the teacher will come, and I’ve found that to be true many times in my own life. We often believe that we are waiting on God, but in reality, God is simply waiting on us.”

To learn more, visit UnityPNS.org, follow Unity of Pensacola on Facebook and Twitter, or drop by a 10 a.m. Sunday service at 716 N. 9th Ave.