Rev. Heidi Alfrey started as the new senior minister at Unity in Chicago on March 30, the latest stop on her career journey within the Unity movement. She served in Unity churches as a congregant, volunteer, teacher, spiritual counselor, and Associate Minister. She's worked at Unity churches in Kansas City, Maui and Florida—and Alfrey has a master's degree in Marriage and Family Therapy.
"Unity's spiritual philosophy is focusing on the similarities rather than the differences between people. Unity is a positive path to spiritual living," said Alfrey, who leads the local church at 1925 W. Thome Ave., in Chicago's Rogers Park neighborhood. "We tend to draw people who are wanting to experience a sense of individual spiritual awakening in a community that is open, non-judgmental, inviting, allowing, and non-discriminating … basically, a community that loves you unconditionally.
"So many people have been taught in their religious beginnings—be it their church, synagogue, or wherever—that something was wrong with them, that you had to do something to be OK in the eyes of God. Our Unity philosophy is, you already are and have always been OK as every new-born child. We are each born in the image and likeness of God ( life itself ) and as we practice feeling connected to our individual spiritual purpose in a community of unconditional love; [thus], a deep sense of peace, community service and well-being emerge."
Chicago's Unity Church has a large gay population among congregants, though Alfrey hopes it someday breaks away from labels. Instead, everyone is simply "a human being rather than a human doing," she said.
About 50 percent of congregants might identify as LGBT, "but again, since we at Unity focus on oneness, we are much more aligned with everyone feeling welcome than needing to be part of a statistic," she said.
"At Unity, we have the opportunity to practice what it must be like at the UN, or anywhere where it's just people. We struggle; we triumph; we have ups; we have downs. It's fascinating to see how, when we stop putting labels on people and making judgments about what is 'right' or 'wrong,' we have so much to learn about one another.
"All fear really is, a lack of understanding."
Alfrey, 55, is straight, single and lives in Edgewater. She is originally from Houston and was a flight attendant for Pan Am, then United from 1989 to 1994. She said it was "a great leap of faith" to leave the airline industry and go for her "spiritual dream of ministry, [which is] higher than 30,00 feet."
She laughed at the similarities to the airlines that happen at Unity in Chicago. "It is 'Buckle your sears belts and get ready for a fabulous journey,'" she said. "Unity has helped me experience more peace within myself, develop a deep connection with Spirit, which is what I call God, and has taught me to learn from how other people see the world and be with them in their time of need and celebration.
"As St. Francis of Assisi reminds us, 'The willingness to understand rather than be understood.' Thus, spiritual living really is, a practice of learning compassion and oneness."
Alfrey hosts a weekly online radio show, Let's Get Naked: Revealing Your Authentic Self, which can be heard live at www.unity.fm or through its archive at www.heidialfrey.com . The show airs live Mondays at 3 p.m.
She has hosted the show for three years and has interviewed locals and celebrities alike, including movie producers and best-selling authors.
"What I find is, everyone who wants to live in a more vibrant, authentic way often has to take off the mask and the disguise of the past. The beliefs they have put on like 'hang-me down clothing' from their early life, their family, their culture, their religion or educational system, and release their imprisoned splendor," she said. "All of the interviews are very poignant and often quite cathartic for those who are being interviewed."
She also has had numerous coming-out stories on the radio show.
Unity in Chicago will host Married in Unity on June 1, an all-inclusive, non-denominational group wedding ceremony in the Unity garden to commemorate the first day of marriage equality in Illinois. The event starts at 4 p.m.
Alfrey will officiate the ceremony for all, including same-sex couples, heterosexual couples, couples who would like to express their commitment without legal documentation, and married couples who would like to renew their vows.
"It will be a great celebration," Alfrey said. "This event of open-mindedness, open-heartedness is what Unity is all about—an all-inclusive celebration of love."
