Reverend Sylvia E. Sumter is the Senior Minister of Unity of Washington, DC and has served in this position since 1991. Prior to her tenure there, she served as the Chairperson of Communication Studies and Skills Department for the Unity School of Religious Studies, in Unity Village, Missouri.
She was licensed as a Minister in 1986 and ordained as a Unity Minister in 1987. Rev. Sumter has a Masters of Education, a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and an Associate of Arts in Business Administration.
When Rev. Sylvia came to Unity Village, she was required to stay on the campus for her own safety as a Black woman living in Lee Summit, Missouri. After graduation, she became an instructor to maintain a representation of a person of color in leadership replacing Rev. Sally Taylor.
She is a natural and gifted spiritual teacher. She counsels through a lived experience. Rev. Sylvia continues to help others expand their spiritual consciousness and vision by living in the awareness of the Divine through prayer, meditation and practicing spiritual principles for living life fearlessly and with authenticity.
Rev. Sumter sees Unity of Washington, DC as a beacon of light and she sees her church serving by keeping the high watch in the nation's capital. She learned from Eric Butterworth to stand on principles and use them. She knows that we need audacious faith to handle uncertainty. She invites us to move with deep trust and embrace the uncertainty. She lets her congregation see her walk, so she can share her story of surrendering to what she knows. She shows them how she lets the Divine guide her because she is subject to have any experience. She demonstrates what it looks like to get back on that horse using principles. By doing so, she eliminates the thought that there is a mythical bar to reach. She shows that she too can forget the truth, but she knows how to get back to It. She wants them to know that all of this is a spiritual experience. And we can do this.
Rev. Sylvia has had many mystical moments including several time warps. She's aware that the spiritual dimension is not qualified by simply time, space and matter. We cannot put confines on how Spirit shows up. God cannot be limited.
We must shed the old paradigm of being a physical being but embrace being a spiritual being. The next evolution is a spiritual one. Everything breaks down, including the physical barriers. The veil is being lifted. The curtain has been rent. There is another dimension. Let's own these powers. Being a spiritual being is not lip service. We are to step into the Christ. Miracles are the working of higher spiritual laws. It’s an exciting time. We are showing the way, being light bearers. Here’s the way. Walk in it. Be masters of energy.
She quotes Dr. King: "For evil to prosper, good people are to do nothing." We must speak.
The meek shall inherit the earth. It's time to rise up together.
She belongs to the group Evolutionary Leaders (along with Deepak Chopra and other luminaries). Her website is unityofwashingtondc.org.
She is a contributing author to two books: "Our Moment of Choice – Evolutionary Visions and Hope for the Future and Meditation: Intimate Experiences with the Divine through Contemplative Practices.
She has a foundation called Stand Up For Humanity! – Unity of Washington DC
Find her at events at the capital, at the Lincoln Memorial or on YouTube.
See us both at "Celebrating Our Soul: A New Thought Conference by People of African Descent": www.padntg.or