Our 2013 Honorees

The Light of God Expressing in Society Award

Dr. Roger Teel

Dr. Roger W. Teel is a life-transforming speaker and a global spiritual leader. Through storytelling, humor and practical spirituality, Dr. Teel’s transforming messages on Sundays, Wednesdays, as well as in workshops, classes, business and national conferences help empower people and lead them to their limitless potential to live dynamically.

He is backed by exceptional academics. Dr. Teel holds a degree in psychology and religion, a Doctor of Divinity and a Doctor of Religious Science degree. He has served pulpits in Oregon, California and in 1993 returned to his home church, Mile Hi Church, Colo., where he serves as Senior Minister and Spiritual Leader to over 6,000 members and friends.

As a global leader, Dr. Teel has served as Chairman of the International Board of Trustees for United Centers for Spiritual Living, and is Co-founder of the Association for Global New Thought. In 1999, 2001 and 2004, Dr. Teel assisted in facilitating the Synthesis Dialogues with acclaimed Global leaders including His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. He has served on the boards of the Interfaith Alliance of Colorado, the M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence, and the Foundation for Affordable Housing.

The Light of God Expressing in Unity Award

Rev. Mary Omwake

Mary Omwake is a spiritual leader, speaker, former radio host and inspiring teacher. Ordained a Unity minister in 1989, Mary has served in ministries at Overland Park, KS, where she created the Love in Action sacred service program as well as the Unity Basics One curriculum as Minister in Maui, HI. A founding member of the Association for Global New Thought, Mary has spoken United Nations for the Season for Peace and Nonviolence, worked on the Synthesis Dialogues with His Holiness the Dalai Lama and worked within her community on numerous peace projects. She was inducted into the Martin Luther King Board of Preachers in 1998. She has served on many boards and committees, including Unity Worldwide Ministries and directed the church growth and development teams for both Unity Worldwide Ministries and International New Thought Alliance.

The Charles Fillmore Award

Rev. Eileen Goor

Rev. Eileen Goor first became acquainted with Unity during the early 1980’s while living on a farm in central Virginia. After supporting the work of several churches, she was called to ministerial school. She was ordained in 1993 and served as founding minister for New World Unity Church in Springfield, Va., for 12 years. She served on the Eastern region board for four years and then the board of Unity Worldwide Ministries for four years. Both roles gave her great appreciation for the dedication of these groups to the Unity movement. She has also served on the advisory board for the Association of Global New Thought where she gained an even greater appreciation for the power our teachings have in bringing peace to the planet.

Eileen’s deep love and appreciation for the work of Charles Fillmore was generated by her favorite role in ministry— teaching all the required courses to students preparing for ministerial school. Several of her congregants have become Unity ministers, and during their preparation she had the opportunity to teach many of the Fillmore books multiple times.

Currently, she teaches The 12 Powers and four metaphysics courses online for the SEE program at Unity Village, Mo., and works on her writing. Her avocation is volunteering with Guide Dogs for the Blind as a puppy raiser, and she is currently raising her third yellow Labrador puppy, Franco.

The Myrtle Fillmore Award

Linda Lowery

Linda Lowery is currently volunteering as a minister in the Seasons Hospice unit. She is a trained Spiritual Caregiver. She works with doctors and staff as part of the “Circle of Care” to provide spiritual counseling, support, and compassionate touch in conjunction with the use of Young Living essential oils. Concurrently, she also serves in ministries in Canada, Ann Arbor, as well as nationally. Ordained as an inter-faith minister after graduating from Unity School of Religious Studies as a Licensed Unity Teacher in 2000, she established Phoenix Rising Ministries. The ministry was dedicated to establishing regular services at nursing homes. Recognizing the vast need for Spiritual Education and Enrichment classes, she concurrently offered her skills to all the churches in the metropolitan area and developed curriculum and power-point presentations to facilitate the teaching modules. She regularly teaches at several different churches during the week.

She began attending Church of Today and Detroit Unity Temple in the mid seventies. While at the Temple she worked in children’s ministry for over fifteen years and regularly chaired: Random Acts of Kindness, the Season for Non-violence, World Day of Prayer, conducted inter-faith services and created numerous fundraising activities such as “Honoring the Pillar’s of the Temple”. She served on the Board of the Unity World Wide Ministries; Unity Institute’s Academic Governance Council and the Future Trend’s Team. She also chaired and co-chaired the Licensed Unity Teacher’s Ministry team, She taught all the classes formerly offered under the Continuing Education Program at Detroit Unity Temple, Renaissance Unity, Unity of Ann Arbor, Unity Center of Windsor, Unity of Eau Claire, Unity of Walnut Creek, Unity of Rochester, to name a few. She is passionate about the curriculum and the necessity of churches to prioritize teaching Unity classes. Many of her students have gone into ministry and or into the LUT program. She also lectures on therapeutic oils and their ability to transmit healing properties to the cellular level of the body and why they have been important to healing historically and Biblically. Her lecture “Healing Oils in Ancient Scripture” is a sought after lecture topic for discussion throughout the U.S. and Canada.

She has worked as a trainer, coach, and consultant in the private sector. As a volunteer for a local art gallery, she lectured on African art and artifacts and their impact on religion, ritual and western civilization. Her background also includes radio and television. She volunteered as the minister on 88.1 a local radio station where she offered “Introspections and Reflections” as part of a weekly broadcast series. She has recorded and published several of her lectures and classes.