Unity Of Washington DC

What Unity Of Washington DC does

Unity of Washington DC is a private nonprofit religious organization founded on November 14, 1920, operating a Unity Christian spiritual center at 1225 R Street NW in Washington, DC. It serves individual congregants and families in the DC metropolitan area through weekly Sunday services (held in-person and streamed via YouTube), age-tiered youth education (Unitots through Y.O.U.), music ministry, prayer and pastoral care programs, spiritual counseling, meditation classes, retreats, and the 'Stand Up for Humanity' national movement led by Senior Minister Rev. Sylvia E. Sumter. The organization operates a small administrative team of 8 staff plus an extensive volunteer ministry infrastructure organized into Love in Action Teams, Committees, and Ministries, with a Board of Trustees overseeing governance.

The organization's technology stack is composed of consumer-grade communication and donation tools: YouTube for live streaming of Sunday services, Zoom for virtual classes and meditation sessions, Constant Contact for email marketing, PayPal and Givelify for donation processing, and WhatsApp and Google Groups for the NGU young-adult community. There are no proprietary systems, applications, or APIs; the website (unityofwashingtondc.org) serves as the primary digital hub. Distribution is hybrid, combining a single physical location with global digital reach through streaming and virtual programming.

Revenue is generated entirely through donations, with no disclosed financials. Streams include the General Fund for operations, Capital Campaign, Building Fund, and Sacred Space Fund for facility initiatives, suggested $20 love offerings for classes and workshops, and retreat registration deposits. The organization is affiliated with Unity Worldwide Ministries and Unity World Headquarters at Unity Village as part of the broader Unity movement, and conducts joint programming with Unity of Gaithersburg and Unity of Fairfax. A planned Senior Minister transition in mid-2026 marks a significant leadership inflection point after Rev. Sumter's tenure since 1991.

Name

Unity Of Washington DC

Legal name

Unity of Washington, DC

Website

https://unityofwashingtondc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1920

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Unity of Washington DC is a 105-year-old nonprofit Unity spiritual center in Washington, DC, serving individual congregants and families through Sunday services, youth education, pastoral care, meditation, and retreats, funded entirely by donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Religious Organizations (81311), Religious Organizations (813110)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Local Congregations & Worship Communities (Churches, Mosques, Temples, Synagogues) (BPAGAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Faith-Based Social Services & Community Outreach (Food Pantries, Shelters, Counseling) (BPAGAJAG), Faith-Based Education & Formation (Seminaries, Religious Schools, Catechesis) (BPAGAJAD), Faith-Based Missions & Evangelism Organizations (Domestic & International) (BPAGAJAE), Religious Retreats & Spiritual Wellness Travel Agencies (THAKAHAM)

Keywords

• Religious services
• Spiritual education
• Pastoral care
• Meditation programs
• Faith community

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. General Fund Donations: Primary donations supporting daily church operations, facilities, and ongoing ministry expenses. Collected via website portal, PayPal, and Givelify platforms.
2. Capital Campaign Fund: Special fundraising campaigns for major initiatives including the Sacred Space campaign for new church home.
3. Class and Workshop Love Offerings: Voluntary love offering of $20 suggested per class or workshop. No one turned away for inability to pay.
4. Retreat Registrations: Registration fees for spiritual retreats including $50 non-refundable deposit for joint Unity retreats.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Unity of Washington DC delivers in-person and online spiritual and religious services, including Sunday worship, youth education (Rainbow Hour), music ministry, prayer support, pastoral care, spiritual counseling, meditation programs, and classes/workshops. The organization is funded primarily through donations across multiple funds (General Fund, Capital Campaign, Building Fund, Sacred Space Fund), supplemented by retreat registration fees and love offerings from classes.

Product overview

Unity of Washington DC is a spiritual center offering a unified ministry focused on practical Christianity and spiritual growth. The core offerings center around Sunday Services (in-person and via YouTube live stream) featuring Rev. Sylvia E. Sumter, complemented by youth education through Rainbow Hour, Music Ministry, and various care ministries (Prayer Support, Pastoral Care, Spiritual Counseling, Meditation). The organization provides donation mechanisms via General Fund, Capital Campaign, Building Fund, and Sacred Space Fund, with payments processed through PayPal and Givelify integrations. Additional programs include the Stand Up For Humanity movement, NGU young adult ministry, and meditation classes via Zoom. Media offerings include video and audio libraries of past services. The ministry connects with congregants through Zoom for virtual events, YouTube for live streaming, Constant Contact for email marketing, WhatsApp and Google Groups for community communications, and WeTransfer for file sharing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sunday Worship Services
• Youth Education (Rainbow Hour)
• Music Ministry
• Prayer Support Ministry
• Pastoral Care Ministry
• Spiritual Counseling Ministry
• Meditation Programs
• Classes and Workshops
• Retreats
• Next Generation of Unity (NGU)
• Stand Up For Humanity Movement
• Media Center

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Unity of GaithersburgminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint retreat partnership for annual Capon Springs Joint Fall Retreat. Three Unity churches collaborate to present spiritual retreats with shared facilitator Rickie Byars for the 'Musical Adventure' retreat September 11-13, 2026.
• Unity of FairfaxminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint retreat partnership for annual Capon Springs Joint Fall Retreat. Three Unity churches collaborate to present spiritual retreats with shared facilitator Rickie Byars.
• Unity Worldwide MinistriescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated with Unity Worldwide Ministries (UWM), an association including Unity ministries, their leaders and congregants, regions and a central office at Unity Village. UWM provides practical teachings, ministerial credentialing, resources, and supports all who contact them with prayer.
• Unity World Headquarters (Unity Village)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated with Unity World Headquarters at Unity Village (formerly Unity School of Christianity), founded by Charles and Myrtle Fillmore. Through its threefold ministry of prayer, publishing, and education, Unity World Headquarters serves millions in more than 150 countries.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Unity World Headquarters at Unity Village: The parent/headquarters of the Unity movement (formerly Unity School of Christianity), founded by Charles and Myrtle Fillmore. Operates the threefold ministry of prayer, publishing (Daily Word), and education across 150+ countries. UWDC is affiliated with and credentialed through Unity Village, making it the umbrella organization that defines UWDC's theology and offerings.
• Washington National Cathedral: A major Episcopal house of worship also located in Washington DC offering weekly worship services, educational programming, pastoral care, music ministry, retreats, and community outreach. Comparable as another single-location DC-area congregation serving a similar urban community with worship, formation, and care ministries, though operating at much larger scale and within a different denomination.

Emerging players

• Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health: A mission-driven nonprofit retreat and education center offering meditation, yoga, wellness programming, and residential retreats in the spiritual wellness space. Comparable to UWDC's retreat and meditation programming (Capon Springs, Afternoon Meditation, Stillness Circle) and donation/love-offering style pricing, though operating as a broader wellness destination rather than a congregation.

Others

• Daily Word (Unity publication): The Unity movement's flagship devotional publication distributed by Unity World Headquarters, providing daily spiritual readings across digital and print channels. While not a congregation, it is the content engine that underpins UWDC's spiritual teachings and represents the publishing arm of the same movement.
• Unity Worldwide Ministries: The denominational association of Unity ministries, their leaders, congregants, regions, and central office at Unity Village. Provides ministerial credentialing, resources, and prayer support to affiliated churches including UWDC. Comparable as the institutional/membership association layer of the Unity ecosystem rather than a directly competing congregation.

Direct peers

• Unity Church of New York: One of the largest and longest-established Unity churches in the US, offering Sunday services, youth education, meditation, prayer support, classes, and a robust media library under the same Unity/New Thought framework. Directly comparable to UWDC in theology, programming breadth, and donation-based operating model, though operating at a larger urban scale.
• Unity of Fairfax: Co-hosts the joint Capon Springs retreat with UWDC and Unity of Gaithersburg. Operates within the same Unity Worldwide Ministries affiliation with comparable Sunday services, spiritual education, prayer support, and donation-based funding model in Northern Virginia. Directly comparable in denomination, programming mix, and regional reach.
• Unity of Gaithersburg: Direct partner on the annual Capon Springs Joint Fall Retreat alongside UWDC and Unity of Fairfax. Operates the same Unity/New Thought spiritual framework with Sunday services, youth programs, prayer support, and donation-based funding in the greater Washington DC metro. Highly comparable to Unity of Washington DC in theology, programming, scale, and target congregant.
• Unity San Francisco: Well-established Unity congregation offering Sunday services, spiritual education, meditation, prayer support, music ministry, and community outreach under the same Unity/New Thought framework. Comparable to UWDC in programming breadth, urban single-site model, and donation-based operations.
• Unity of Houston: Another major Unity congregation affiliated with Unity Worldwide Ministries, offering Sunday services, youth programs (Uniteens/Y.O.U.), pastoral care, classes, and donation-based funding. Highly comparable as another mid-to-large single-site Unity church with a hybrid in-person/online service model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/unitywdc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC7tDjQfkR6-fDTZHBliKrKg
• Facebookfacebook.com/unityofwashingtondc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/unity-of-washington-dc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Unity Of Washington DC