*  About Us			Our History: Fulfilling God's Mandate for UFC Charlotte UNDERSTAND WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE BELIEVE {Providence}: In 2000 Archbishop Carl Bean, Founder and Prelate of the Unity Fellowship Church Movement, moved by the Spirit of God to commission Rev. Tonyia M. Rawls, former Assistant Pastor of Inner Light Unity Fellowship Church in Washington, DC, to be pastor of the denomination’s first church in The Carolinas.  She was led to Charlotte, North Carolina with her life partner Gwendolyn.
* Our Church History
* Leadership
* Ministries & Auxillaries
Together they founded Unity Fellowship Church Charlotte in January, 2001.  The ministry was shaped by Christian principles and the understanding that “God is Love And Love is For Everyone,” Archbishop Carl Bean.  The ministry was an open door that welcomed all of God's children home, regardless of race, gender expression, sexual orientation, land of native birth or previous religious affiliation. The charge God gave also included freeing and grooming spiritual leaders who would in turn, help free the world. Within the first year UFCC experienced great growth in its first home which was located in the 100 seat chapel of St. Luke's Lutheran Church on Park Road. This was a powerful relationship not just because we shared space with each other, but the predominately African-American, young and LGBT UFCC congregation and the more mature, predominately white St. Luke's congregation went the extra step and established community. This was largely the result of the relationship between Pastor Steven Lorimar of St. Luke's Lutheran and Pastor Rawls. God gave them a vision of what was possible when we look beyond difference and walk in the love of God. The ministry's commitment to social justice was apparent from the start. In 2001 UFCC responded to the 911 tragedy by preparing bagged meals for those stranded at the bus and train stations in Charlotte and then fed the homeless with the remaining meals. Work within the HIV/AIDS arena also began with UFCC joining forces with area artists and activists to establish Artists and Community Fighting For The Eradication of HIV/AIDS. This work joined conservatives and progressives, gay and straight, black, white, brown and yellow, religious and atheist all under one banner to fight our common enemy, AIDS. We also took part in Charlotte's first Gay Pride celebration. By 2002 the church continued to grow as did the ministry's life within community. That year UFCC presented the first openly LGBT and ally contingency to march in the Charlotte Martin Luther King Jr. parade and continue to march in it to this day. The ministry also played a critical role in the County-wide fight that helped ensure additional critical funding for Charlotte's center-city schools. UFC Charlotte also worked with students on Historically Black College and University campuses like Johnson C. Smith, as they established the school's first gay and lesbian organization. 2003 was a very big year for the ministry because the church had outgrown its current space and purchased a new property at 2127 Eastway Drive. The ministry also became an anchor tenant in the city's first Gay and Lesbian Community Center on Central Avenue. That same year UFCC organized a citywide bus trip to Washington, DC for the 40th Anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s march on Washington; Rev. Rawls was named one of Charlotte's 50 most interesting people by Charlotte Magazine; and UFCC ordained its first class of Deacons and Ministers. In 2004-2005 UFCC responded to the Hurricane Katrina crisis by creating an "Angel Squad." By joining with sister congregation Temple Beth El and The Grubb Properties, the ministry sponsored 3 displaced families. Housing, social and spiritual support was provided to help these families reestablish their lives. Rev. Rawls was elevated to the office of Elder within the UFCM and was honored by the Human Rights Campaign of the Carolina's with their Equality Award for her work at opening doors and providing a place at the table for the region's gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender members. The ministry also became a founding member of People United for Education. This coalition was established to help bring greater equity within the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school system. UFCC ordained its first Reverend. God continued to move in a mighty way through the late 2000's, increasing the size of the ministry and its impact on the region. Members of UFCC co-founded Charlotte's first Black Gay Pride and South Carolina Black and Latino pride celebrations. Elder Rawls worked with other Black clergy in the city to establish Black Clergy United Against AIDS. There was a shared commitment by these pastors to fight the growth of the virus using non-homophobic language and love-centered means when dealing with at-risk populations. In 2008 Elder Rawls and Elder Jacquelyn Holland from Newark, New Jersey were consecrated as the denomination's first women Bishops. Bishop Rawls was appointed Bishop of the Southern Jurisdiction. As Unity Fellowship Church Charlotte enters its next decade of life, raising the bar again. In January, UFCC was unanimously voted into the North Carolina Council of Churches and is now in the process of building a new facility on its land to house programs and expand the size of the current church. The new facility will be called The Light House and will provide the space that is critically needed to build upon the already impactful work God has blessed the ministry to do since 2001.