Unity Church of the Hills History

An idea...

The history of Unity Church of the Hills had its roots more than 20 years ago. That is when Lenore Scott met Fred Howes at the Church of Today Unity Church in Warren, Michigan. Lenore interviewed Fred and his wife Joan about handling the massive amounts of printing needed by that Church.

After reading the literature they were printing for the church, Fred and Joan decided that Unity was something they wanted to explore for themselves.

Subsequently, Fred and Joan moved to Austin, Texas, to be closer to family. Wanting a Unity church nearer to their home in northwest Austin, Fred and Joan contacted the Association of Unity Churches to explore starting a new church.

At the same time, both Ron and Lenore Scott had been accepted into the Ministerial Education Program at Unity School of Christianity and were on their way to becoming ordained Unity ministers.

Toward the end of their second year at ministerial school, Ron and Lenore met with a group in Austin to discuss pioneering a new church. They considered the Howes' request along with several other options. Everything seemed to lead them to the center of the Lone Star State.

The New Church Begins…

Shortly after their graduation in August, 1995, Ron and Lenore arrived in Austin. They found willing hands and hearts and Spirit's presence everywhere they turned. With rental space at a premium in our booming hi-tech city, the small group that formed the core of the new church was able to secure a school cafeteria for Sunday Services.

On November 12, 1995, Unity Church of the Hills held its first Sunday morning service at Grisham Middle School. It became the temporary Sunday home for much of the next year.

One of the members had some vacant office space above her architectural firm which she offered to the ministers and the newly-formed Steering Team until a more permanent facility could be obtained.

Prior to launching their first Sunday service, Ron and Lenore offered an eight-week Wednesday-night course on Unity Basics to members of the local community. During this time, they visited various churches in the area on Sunday mornings to get a better feel for the people and the culture of Central Texas.

It was during one of those early visits that Spirit again led the way as the church they were attending announced plans to build a permanent facility and leave the rented plaza space they had used for the previous ten years. A real estate broker in Unity Church of the Hills and a broker within the vacating church were able to arrange a transfer of the lease without the property ever going on the market.

After a tremendous team effort by the growing congregation to remodel the new space, the church moved to the facility in August 1996. In the process of preparing the new space for Sunday services, seating became an issue. There were no pews or chairs. The ministers announced the need to the congregation to see if anyone had any leads.

Following up on one of those leads, Ron and Lenore found themselves at a Presbyterian Church in Wells Branch that had an overflow of beautiful, well-cushioned pews that the Church would not need for at least five years-the exact term of Unity Church of the Hills' lease for the new facility.

…And It Grows

Within a couple of years, the rapid growth of the Church made it obvious that the plaza location would no longer provide adequate space at the end of the lease. Congregation-wide visioning was conducted and a group of eager volunteers was assembled to find a new solution. After a year of dried-up leads but steady faith, a beautiful 14.6 acre, heavily wooded lot appeared-only half of a mile from the current location. Everything fell into place with remarkable ease and three families from the Church came forward to purchase the land.

Once the land was purchased, the congregation and service teams conducted several visioning exercises to bring form to our new building. Countless volunteers stepped forward to participate in wiring, painting, landscaping, etc., to help bring about our new Church home.

The first Sunday Service in the new Sanctuary was held on
October 7, 2001.

Some twelve years after growing and building the church and ministering to its congregation, Ron and Lenore decided that their work was done at Unity Church of the Hills, and that it was time for a new minister to step in and take the church to the next level. On December 9, 2007 the announcement was made that Rev. Steve Bolen had been hired as the new Senior Minister.

As Ron and Lenore travel down their next road, we send them our heart-felt love and gratitude for all they have done for us. Thank you Ron and Lenore, and thank you, thank you, thank you, God!

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