| Unity Center
in western North Carolina | 
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| Our
Minister:
Rev. Chad O'Shea has served at Unity Center in Mills River, in western North Carolina,
since August, 1983. Under his leadership, Unity Center has expanded to over 350 member families
who now meet in a lovely church built in 2000 on their 21 acre campus five minutes from the Asheville Regional Airport. |
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Since his birth in Om - Aha!, Nebraska, in 1934, Chad has evolved from the dubious wisdom of the second six-pack that advised his earlier careers in retail management and used car sales to a light-hearted eclectic in love with the truth that set him free. A natural actor/speaker/showman, Chad weaves humor, stories, and magic into teachings that some refer to as a delightful blend of Ram Dass, George Carlin, and Jesus. Drawing his inspiration from a diverse pool of awakened inspiration that includes Jesus, Buddha, Lao Tsu, Ram Dass, Fritz Perls, Jack Kornfield, Chogyam Trungpa, Charles & Myrtle Fillmore and Pogo, to name a few, he counsels that misery is optional reminding us that the Third Zen Patriarch put all our rationales for angst to rest when he observed that "the Great Way is not difficult for those who have no preferences." (Third Zen Patriarch). Chad is a skilled golfer, an enthusiastic guitarist, a devoted father to Michael (1987) and Katie (1993) and to his grown children, Chad Jr. and Matthew, and a delighted grandfather to Chelsey (2001) and Trey (2003). | |
| Minister of Music:
Lytingale (Lois Henrickson) serves Unity Center as the Editor for the Unity News & Views, Webmaster, and Minister of Music (and leader of The Unitic Band). She also directs an annual show, "Unity Plays Broadway." She writes a series, "Lessons from the Garden," for Unity News & Views. A songwriter (350+ songs) and musician (vocals, keyboards, guitar, flute, etc.), Lyte has 3 albums (Home To My Heart on CD & Cassette, and Altar of Love and Inspirations on Cassette) as well as sheet music available from EnLyteN. She is the author of a book on reshaping & updating church music called Growing Your Church Music Program, which was presented as a workshop at a national Unity ministers' Conference and has been used in ministerial training classes at Unity Village. She is webmaster for UMMAS subregional group. | 
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| Born in Farmington, Connecticut, she
graduated (summa cum laude, University Scholar) from UConn with a
major in Music Ed (voice), and has used her clear soprano for all styles of
music, from rock to opera, blues & jazz to musical comedy. Lyte has performed roles at Asheville Community Theater, and as soloist with Asheville Choral Society,
The N.C. Symphony, and The Johnson City (TN) Symphony. She also composes for and sings with
Womansong, and teaches voice privately.
She is the wife of Rev. Chad O'Shea, and the mother of Michael (1987) and Katie (1993) O'Shea. | |
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Unity Center
2041 Old Fanning Bridge Road Mills River, NC 28759 (828) 891-8700 or 684-3798 |