Who we are: The Unity Fellowship Church Movement

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Unity Fellowship Church, Los Angeles (UFCLA) was founded in 1982 by Rev. Carl Bean for primarily openly Gay and Lesbian African Americans. The first meetings were held in the private residence of Rev. Bean, on Cochran Ave., in Los Angeles, California. In 1984, a reorganization took place in the last residence of the late Archbishop William Morris O'Neal, which is located on South Burnside Avenue in Los Angeles, which was also the ordination site of our founder, Rev. Carl Bean. Weekly Bible studies then moved to the home of Deacon Christine Tripp.

UFCLA received its non-profit status in 1985. The first UFCLA public worship service was at the Cockatoo Inn on Hawthorne Boulevard in Inglewood, California. It was then decided by the membership to move the worship service to a more central location to make it more accessible to those on public transportation. The new location was the Ebony Showcase Theater on Washington Boulevard in Los Angeles, which was an integral part of the culture of the Black community. Public worship continued at the Ebony Showcase Theater until 1988. Our first property was purchased in 1988 and Unity Fellowship Church then moved to West Jefferson Boulevard in Los Angeles.

The Unity Fellowship Church Movement (UFCM) was registered in 1990 as a non-partisan, non-profit organization, headquartered on Jefferson Boulevard in Los Angeles. Presently, the UFCM network is far reaching with various national departments, urban outreach ministries, a national mass choir, periodicals and constituency-based programs nationwide.

The Mission

The primary work of the UFCM is to proclaim the SACREDNESS OF ALL LIFE, thus focusing on empowering those who have been oppressed and made to feel shame. Through an emerging international network, the UFCM works to facilitate social change and improve the life chances for those who have been rejected by societyâs institutions and systems. Although its pivotal work focuses on the urban weak and powerless, the scope of its work is inclusive and has significance for all people.  

The Major Activities

The major activities of the UFCM involve these areas: Spiritual Growth and Social Justice ministries, i.e., creating HIV/AIDS outreach ministries; establishing training, education, health and human services; developing organizations that fill critical gaps in human services; setting up ministries that empower everyone, with specific focus on the disenfranchised; initiating projects that strengthen leadership in the community; providing outreach projects that supply information, education and empowerment. 

REMEMBER:  LOVE REQUIRES ACTION!