Our Minister
Rev. Patricia Bessey
is a Unity minister, Master Prosperity teacher, seminar leader, church consultant, spiritual counselor, certified Peacemaker and certified life coach.
Before accepting her position at Unity Center for Spiritual Growth, Rev. Pat served as the co-founding minister with her husband Rev. LeRoy Lowell of Christ Unity Oceanside in Virginia Beach, Virginia. They served that ministry for 10 years before coming back home to Maine.
Ordained in 1996, Rev. Patricia Bessey has served as a congregational minister, seminar presenter, and consultant to Unity ministries throughout the country.
Her passion is helping individuals and communities awaken to their spiritual potential and live with greater purpose, connection, and spiritual awareness. In 2015, she received the Charles Fillmore Award for Leadership from Unity Worldwide Ministries in recognition of her service and leadership.
Rev. Pat is committed to supporting others in becoming all that they have come here to be and to live a healthier, happier and more abundant life through sharing her thorough understanding of spiritual principles.
Our Board of Directors
Matt Purinton, President
My name is Matt Purinton and I thank you for taking the time to explore our website! I am currently Board President here in this vibrant community and have been in that role 7 of the past 8 years. It has been a privilege serving on the Board and getting to see first hand the caring and commitment of those involved here at Unity Center for Spiritual Growth.
I am from Maine, born and raised on a farm in Bowdoin (Mid Coast area) which I now again live on. Like many of us, my path to Unity was long and meandering and I first began attending in 2013. One of the main reasons I have become part of this community is the central Unity tenant of “One God, Many Paths”. While the basis of this ministry is founded on Unity principles and teachings, there is room, respect and support for wherever you might find yourself on your own path.
I am an ordained minister through All Faiths Seminary International out of New York and am currently working through the Unity Ministerial training program. Please let me or any of the other Board members know if you have any questions and we would be happy to answer them!
Betty Kay Lewis, Vice President
Hello, my name is Betty K. Lewis, playfully known as “Betti Lu,” and I want to introduce myself as a board member.
I am a native Vermonter who moved to Maine in March 2020. I am happily married to Jennifer Greaves, and we live in Portland.
I am a retired medical SW and I served in the Vermont Air National Guard for 20 years, where I was a firefighter and served as the 1st sargeant of my squadron for the last six years of my military career.
One of my passions in life is paddling with Dragonheart Vermont, a breast cancer survivor and support organization, which has a huge commitment to making a heart difference by giving back to the community.
Like many others, “I felt like I was home” after my first visit to the Unity Center for Spiritual Growth. I became a member through the Independent Study Program during COVID.
I am presently involved assisting in garden care and the following church groups: Women Empowering Women, Spiritual Exploration. I also serve as a member of the family committee for the Sebago Lakes Region Fuller Center for Housing.
I look forward to deepening my spiritual growth by being of service to our church community and lovingly holding the vision for our church.
Janice Murphy, Treasurer
Hello! I first learned of Unity Center for Spiritual Growth in 2013 from a fellow educator. I attended services—not as often as I might have—and in 2017 I knew that I had found my spiritual home when Rev Pat and Rev Leroy led a book study on the book Peaceful Revolution<—how we can create the future needed for humanity’s survival—by Paul Chappell. In those small group discussions I experienced the compassion and wisdom of Pat and Leroy but also found a deeper connection to my spiritual faith, my higher power, and community in action. I had been “trying out” any number of practices and religious dogmas to help me find my spiritual connection to God/spirit for so many years.
As I attended the Sunday services regularly in person and online during Covid I knew that I wanted to make Unity a greater part of my life and as Covid restrictions lifted I volunteered to read the Daily Word and usher once monthly. I began to recognize that the path to my deeper spiritual growth and the comfort it gave me during these tumultuous times, came to me through the teachings of Unity, the community at Unity, and Rev Pat on Sundays. In 2020 I took independent study during Covid to become a member and now most recently served as an alternate board member. I serve as a co-chair of the garden committee and recently helped to craft grants to fund the expansions we hope to make to our gardens and grounds. The five basic principles of UCSG, most especially that prayer and meditation heighten our awareness and thereby transform our lives, are what have guided my life, my connection to spirit, and truly living a fuller, richer life on this journey as a human being.
Sue Vittner, Member at Large
I am a lover of life and adventure. My life is a balance of travel and exploration, inside and out.
I have lived and worked in Antarctica and traveled to India, Bali, Bolivia, Peru, Mexico, Europe, and extensively throughout the states. I love yoga, meditating, painting, journaling, singing in the car on road trips, being in nature, and philosophizing. I love living in Portland, Maine, “the way life should be!”
My hand analysis says that my soul’s purpose is to be a butterfly and follow my heart, while also being a spiritual teacher. So that’s essentially what I strive to do each day.
During a time living in Texas, I began attending a Unity church where they teach (which was new to me) the concept that we create our own reality. I discovered the teachings of Abraham Hicks and the Law of Attraction, Wayne Dyer, Deepak Chopra, and many other inspirational thinkers. Then The Secret movie came out. I soaked all of this up and put all of what I learned into practice. My life was totally changing and improving, and I discovered the freedom and power that comes when we live a life with purpose and intention.
It is powerful to know that we can attract whomever and whatever we want into our lives. We are amazing beings. YOU are amazing and perfect and creative.
Do you know how magnificent you are? There are many who doubt this, so it is my intention to help those that doubt see the truth of who they are. I believe that if everyone truly knows how special they are and that we are each here for a purpose, there will be so much love and harmony in the world.
Sue is the author of From Your Vision Board to Your Bedroom: Using the Law of Attraction to Find True Love, an artist, and so much more!
Barbara Kowalska, Member at Large
Unity has been a constant in my life since I joined a meditation group that met in the basement of Unity’s Columbia Road home. Every week Audrey McGinnis greeted me as I passed through her kitchen to go downstairs. She radiated something, and I wanted to know more about it. I started going to Sunday services. I was moved. Inviting Spirit to participate in my life, I was waking up! I became a member, studied at Unity Village, and offered classes and workshops. I served on the board during the selection, purchase and renovation of the River Road property.
In 1994, I answered a request to pioneer a Unity Church in Eaton, NH, under the auspices of Unity of Greater Portland. What a joy! I was ordained as an interfaith minister in that church with my friends, family and congregants joining in the celebration.
In 1997, I moved to California, where I found my next spiritual home at Unity of Cambria, where Margaret Butterworth was the minister. Spirit gave me opportunities to offer classes and become a regular Sunday speaker. My soul flourished.
Becoming a grandmother brought me back to the East Coast in 2005.
In 2013 I returned to Maine and to Unity Center for Spiritual Growth. What a delight to be back with old friends! I joined the Healing Service team, and later, became a Prayer Partner. As a board member, I use my varied skills to support our beloved spiritual community as it grows and serves. Unity has been here for me; I want to contribute to it being here for others.
Carolyn Sanford, Member at Large
Unity Center for Spiritual Growth has been my spiritual home for 19 years, and service has always been central to my journey—it’s how I grow spiritually and deepen my connection with others. Over the years, I’ve served as treasurer and as vice president on the board, joined the prayer team, served as a prayer chaplain and then prayer partner, and I am a facilitator at out our monthly healing service.
I first served on the board from 2019 to 2021, during the challenging time of COVID, and felt privileged to help keep our community safe and thriving. Now, I’m honored to be called again to serve another three-year term. I’m excited to contribute all that I can to support and strengthen our beloved community.
Nancy Sawyer, Alternate
I was first introduced to Unity by my older son and attended several services with him. The messages I heard and the people I met had a profound impact on me—they resonated deeply, and I felt warmth, acceptance, and love.
Not long after I began attending regularly, the pandemic hit. Like many communities, Unity closed its physical doors, but the spiritual doors remained wide open. Thanks to Rev. Pat and the Board, we were able to gather online for live Sunday services.
When the doors reopened, I walked in with my mask on, sat down, and thought, “This is where I belong.” Tears filled my eyes as I felt the love and joy waiting for us to return.
Since then, I’ve dedicated myself to helping wherever I can. I became a member, attended classes, grew spiritually, and embraced the joy of giving and receiving hugs. Unity has truly become my spiritual home.
Dana Walker, Affiliate Board Member
Dana Walker’s journey with Unity began in 1991, but her understanding of Unity’s Five Principles deepened in 1998 when Rev. Pat and Rev. LeRoy founded Christ Unity Oceanside in Virginia Beach. Their passion and love for Unity inspired Dana, and from that moment, she knew she had found her spiritual home.
During her years at Christ Unity Oceanside, Dana served wholeheartedly — holding positions as Secretary and Treasurer on the Board of Trustees, leading the usher team, and volunteering in many other capacities. At the same time, she successfully ran her own company, Words Perfect, Inc., as President. Since semi-retiring in 2017, Dana has continued to share her gifts through freelance technical editing and administrative work.
Dana has been a non-local member of Unity Center for Spiritual Growth for the past 2–3 years and remains deeply connected to our community. She is an active volunteer and enjoys yoga, walking, and creating stained glass art, and she serves on several boards as Secretary.
Dana is excited to bring her experience and dedication to her role as an Affiliate Board Member, supporting the mission and vision of Unity Center for Spiritual Growth.
Our Staff
