Unity World Headquarters Celebrates Prayer—and a Newly Restored Tower

Unity Village, Mo. Almost two decades ago this week Silent Unity, the non-denominational, 24/7 prayer ministry, invited people from every faith tradition and all walks of life to join in a worldwide 24-hour prayer vigil. Over the years, Unity World Day of Prayer has touched millions of lives, becoming a cherished tradition at Unity Village […]

Unity Village, Mo. Almost two decades ago this week Silent Unity, the non-denominational, 24/7 prayer ministry, invited people from every faith tradition and all walks of life to join in a worldwide 24-hour prayer vigil. Over the years, Unity World Day of Prayer has touched millions of lives, becoming a cherished tradition at Unity Village and at Unity churches and centers around the world.

The 20th annual World Day of Prayer theme—“Living Well:  Nurturing Mind, Body, and Spirit”holds special meaning for Unity World Headquarters at Unity Village. The Unity Village Tower, completed in 1929, will reopen to the public this week as Awaken Whole Life Center, a full service, spiritual spa with services nurturing mind, body and spirit.

“The Unity movement started as a healing story, after cofounder Myrtle Fillmore discovered the power of affirmative prayer as a tool for recovery from chronic illness. Myrtle and her husband Charles Fillmore devoted their lives to helping others realize their potential for total well-being. We’re honoring their legacy by dedicating the newly restored Unity Village Tower on Sept. 12, Unity World Day of Prayer,” said Charlotte Shelton, president and CEO of Unity World Headquarters at Unity Village.


A Jackson County, Mo. landmark, the 165-foot Tower is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The building was shuttered for almost a decade due to falling debris from the exterior surface and infrastructure deterioration. Restoration work was seeded by a $3 million gift received in 2011 from anonymous donors.

Inspired by the vision of a world-class holistic health center on the Unity Village campus, other donors came forward. They include the late Glenn H. Korff, from Boulder Colo., who funded a state-of-the art fitness center that now bears his name. It is located in the adjacent Silent Unity Building.

“We were convinced the time was right for a facility dedicated to helping people realize optimal health of body, mind and spirit. The seven floors of the Tower—together with the new Glenn H. Korff Fitness Center—will provide a broad range of services including integrative medicine, mindfulness instruction and practice, spiritual counseling, individual and group fitness, acupuncture, chiropractic, spiritual spa treatments and retreats,” said Shelton.

The Tower restoration project team was led by Kansas City, Mo. architect Susan Richards Johnson of Susan Richards Johnson & Associates, Inc. A.L. Huber General Contractor of Overland Park, Kan. served as contractor.

Circling the base of the Tower is a new prayer and meditation garden. The installation, designed for year-around use by Vireo of Kansas City, Mo. and Omaha, Neb., features 12 original bronzes by Kansas City, Mo. sculptor Barry Eisenhart.

Unity Village is offering a full schedule of events Sept. 11 through Sept. 15 to commemorate World Day of Prayer and the Tower opening:


  • The Tower dedication will be at 9 a.m. Sept. 12 in the Unity Village central courtyard.
  • Distinguished Texas physician and author Dr. Larry Dossey will speak at 7 p.m. Sept. 11. Noted Kansas City, Missouri physician, author and consultant Dr. Bowen White will speak at 7 p.m. Sept. 12. Both events will be at the Unity Village Activities Center.
  • Unity Village and Awaken Whole Life Center will host “Awaken Your Dreams,” an outdoor gala with fireworks, beginning at 6 p.m. Sept. 13 in the central courtyard. They will also present the first annual Unity Village Tower Run, a family 5k walk and run benefitting the Dream Factory of Greater Kansas City at 8 a.m. Sept. 14.
  •  Awaken Whole Life Center will host an open house in the Tower from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 14, and will sponsor Yoga Rocks the Park, an outdoor festival beginning at 9 a.m. Sept. 15 in the central courtyard.

Details about Unity World Day of Prayer at Unity Village and other Unity spiritual communities are online at www.worlddayofprayer.org and in Spanish at www.diadeoracionmundial.org. Details on the Unity Village Tower celebration are available at www.unityvillage/tower.

For more information on Awaken Whole Life Center, located in the Unity Village Tower, visit www.awakenwholelifecenter.com.

 About Unity

Unity was founded in 1889 and helps people of all faiths apply positive spiritual principles in their daily lives. Unity World Headquarters at Unity Village publishes Daily Word, a magazine of inspirational messages distributed to nearly 1 million people in more than 100 countries. Unity’s prayer ministry, Silent Unity, offers prayer support 24/7. Silent Unity receives about 2 million letters, telephone calls and online requests for prayer annually. Anyone in need of prayer support at any time may call (800) NOW-PRAY (669-7729) or visit www.silentunity.org. Unity World Headquarters is located at M-350 Highway and Colbern Road (1901 NW Blue Parkway), near Lee’s Summit, Mo.

About Awaken Whole Life Center

Awaken Whole Life Center is a stand alone subsidiary of Unity World Headquarters at Unity Village, a not-for-profit religious and educational institution. Revenues from Awaken Whole Life Center will help support Unity World Headquarters’ mission-driven programs—such as the Silent Unity Prayer Ministry and Message of Hope—as well as fund infrastructure improvements on the Unity Village campus.

 

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