Background & History
KRST Unity Center of Afrakan Spiritual Science is an Afrakan centered spiritual center committed and dedicated to the Principle and Practice of “as above, so below”. We believe that a beings created in the image and likeness of NTR (God), we have been given the authority, capability and responsibility to create a healing consciousness and activity of “on earth, as it is in the universe/cosmos”. This will be achieved by our coming to “know ourselves” as the totally unlimited spiritual beings that we are. We are unlimited spiritual beings, living in a spiritual universe, governed by spiritual laws with access to our ancestors’ ancient methodology for the practical application of spiritual principles.
The mental experience that mostly shapes our community’s false reality race, racism, the associated poverty and poor health are healable. How blessed we are that the healing principles of truth called “New Thought” are our Afrakan Spiritual teachings. We at KRST Unity Center of Afrakan Spiritual Science, through an Afrakan historical and cultural framework are coming to “Know Ourselves”, and are leading our community and the world through this healing process. We thank you and your family for making that important decision to join our family.
Where Did We Come From?
KRST Unity Center was founded as part of Unity Society of Christianity founded in 1889 by Charles and Myrtle Fillmore. Charles and Myrtle heard a lecture by Dr. E.B. Weeks, a representative of the Metaphysical College, about Spiritual healing and changing ideas about God and themselves that changed their lives forever. Myrtle, sick from childhood, believed she inherited tuberculosis from her mother as her mother believed she had inherited it as well. Charles had been diagnosed with incurable tuberculosis, which left him mostly bedridden and on crutches until age 18. Now, believing that “she was a child of God and therefore could not inherit sickness", she was completely healed within 2 years. Charles caught the “Truth” and began opening to his own spiritual nature, a lifelong process of prayer and meditation, which he called, “going to the source”. Using these new “Ancient” teachings, they began to form classes to teach healing to their neighbors on an informational basis. They later published “Modern Thought” a little magazine which started a movement which later became Unity.
By the Divine movement of Spirit, Rev. Byrd heard Dr. Leonard Jefferies, noted scholar and historian speaking on a radio program discussing Afrakan Centered Concepts. This hearing brought the answers to their prayers and touched upon their divine purpose: to find a way to reach their people in a powerful way that could make the New Thought teachings, that so influenced their lives for good, abundantly available to the hearts and minds of a people hurt and stifled by religious beliefs and practices that were numbing their capacity to flourish in life. As a result of this spiritual vision, and the deep understanding that the powerful life giving spiritual practices of New Thought were all based upon Ancient Spiritual Thought and practices they launched their focus and dedication to the teachings of the greater truth and Spiritual Cosmology that includes teaching Afrakan history and
Unity is a part of an ongoing Spiritual education and living process that had its inception in the Southern and Eastern Nubian/Afrakan and its flowing in the fertile Nile Valley of KMT (Kemet), Egypt. The Winged Globe symbol was chosen by Charles as the symbol of Unity. The Winged Globe or sun disk is an ancient religious symbol that had its earliest use in Egypt, and it is found in various forms in the religions of other races. The Winged Globe represents the relation that exists between Spirit, Body, and Soul. The Soul gives wings to the body. Spirit is the enveloping principle like the atmosphere in which both soul and body exists and from which they draw their original inspiration. Thus Modern Unity was born through the connectedness with ancient symbols and “Old Thought” from ancient Afrakan Spiritual teachings. Likewise, the Transcendentalist, the Rosicrucian Order, Christian Science, Science of Mind, Divine Science, and many more, “New Thought” movements and practitioners owe the fundamental basis of their teachings to the ancient Afrakan Spiritual teachings that date back tens of thousands of years.
The formation of Christ Unity Center began in the 1920’s under the leadership of Rev. Helen Mouton, with some of the founding members. Mr. John Merritt, Mrs. Juanita Merritt, John’s sister, Mrs. Mary Justice and Mrs. Juanita Townsend, still active at the arrival of Rev. Byrd. Unity was incorporated in August 1937 with the first Center located at 46th and Mettler. Rev. Helen Moulton served as Minister until 1960 when Rev. Trudie Liddell took over. In 1961, with the help of her family and some of the members, Rev. Trudie Liddell bought the building at our current location and moved in that same year. Rev. Trudie served until 1983. She was followed by Rev. Mario de Farrai from 1983-87. From 1987 to mid 1988 Rev. Thomas Vivens and Rev. Ms. Clare Epps served. Rev. Liddell, who came out of retirement to rescue the ministry and served until our present Minister Rev. Richard Byrd began his service to Christ Unity Center unofficially with a concert on Thanksgiving 1988 and officially began Sunday, January 1, 1989 with about 10 people in attendance.
The initial thrust of Rev. Byrd’s ministry and leadership was to grow Christ Unity Center large enough to move out of South Central, to “just a little west” to be able to attract and build a more “universal” Center of truth. Sure enough, Christ Unity began to thrive as a typical Unity Center attracting folks to a wonderful message of truth for those folks living with their “heads just a little out of the water”. Yet all around us undeniably, were people who were drowning. That initial plan soon gave way to Spirits’ plan for Rev. and Erica, his wife, to grow where they were planted: right here smack in the middle of South Central Los Angeles. The praying and searching then became for a way to make relevant the “New Thought” teachings to a community of people some of whom were deeply searching for their spiritual selves; others having thrown away religion, and angry, and those still locked into the cult of Jesus but trying to find their way.
culture and the spiritual knowledge and practices as our Ancient Afrakan ancestors lived their lives by. Rev. Byrd began to incorporate more of the Afrakan teachings into his lessons. This caused a major revolt within the church leadership, where the existing board attempted to oust him from the church for embracing Afrakan ideas and Afrakan centered programs. The members stood fast through a re-organization and continued their loving and much needed support.
On September 5th, 1993, Afrakan Spirituality was instituted as a separate service on Sunday evenings while he continued to slowly bring the Afrakan Spiritual teachings to the whole center.
Where Are We Going?
So, here we stand today, poised with these “Ancient New Thought” teachings in the midst of our people so devastatingly caught up in self-hatred, who have no clue as to who we are as a people and certainly no knowledge as to our true spiritual nature. We blindly follow a religious teaching and practice far removed from the real teaching and practices of the Christ and even further removed from their source, the teachings of our Afrakan ancestors. Ancient Afrakan New Thought tells us that through the power of God (NTR) within us, the Power of “I AM” we can shake off any enslavement. We are taught that as we believe, so is it done unto us, and we do believe. Our ancestors teach us that belief must be auctioned so that it becomes “KNOWING”. All that is left for us to do is to open ourselves to the future revelation of NTR’s truth and to commit our whole being to the unfolding of that truth for the uplifting of ourselves; our family; our community and all of humankind. We must take these truths into our hearts and mi9nds, meditate and pray upon them and live our lives as demonstrations of the “Truth” that makes us free. We will attract those of like-mind and grow one soul at a time, until we stand again as the epitome of the best of the human race, celebrating our Afrakan heritage and teachings. More so, we will celebrate our spirituality and oneness with NTR, living MAAT; truth, justice, propriety, righteousness, orders, balance, reciprocity, and harmony as the Spiritual Beings we truly are. Speaking MAAT, Doing MAAT!
