Unity on the River - Church Leaders - Rev. Shipley Allinson

In the early 90’s, Rev. Shipley Allinson began a small Prayer and Study group in the Upper Room of her Amesbury house — with just four people in attendance!

This group soon grew to capacity (14 people) and began a once a month Sunday service in January, 1997 in the basement of the Newburyport Five Cent Savings Bank. They named the church Unity of Greater Newburyport. The service was opened to the public in February, 1997 with thirty-five people in attendance.

Shipley received her Licensed Unity Teacher Certification in April, 1997. The church moved its services to the Masonic Temple in Newburyport and started services twice a month in June with 50–70 people in attendance.

The church moved to our present location, 58 Macy St., Amesbury, MA on July 15, 1998. (Shipley’s Birthday!) Shipley entered the Association of Unity Churches Field Licensing Program and received her Associate Minister status in March, 2000. Rev. Shipley graduated in March, 2002 and her full ordination was celebrated in January, 2003. Over 300 people attended this joyous celebration of our dynamic and gifted spiritual leader!

R e v. M o r g a n B a r c l a y

Rev. Morgan J. Barclay joined Unity on the River in November 2008 as Associate Minister of Operations. Ordained in 2003, Morgan served four years as Minister at Unity in Appleton, Wisconsin. Born into a New Thought family, Morgan served in a variety of volunteer capacities in Unity ministries for over 30 years. He is the author of the small group Unity ministry guide on prosperity published by the Association of Unity Churches International.

Morgan delights in being a member of Unity on the River for it is a sacred community where he can share his organizational and pastoral skills and be part of a powerful team. He enjoys supporting community members as they unleash their Divine potential. Morgan likes working through challenges and is persistent in his endeavors.

Morgan is married to Cynthia Barclay who is an ordained interfaith minister and chaplain. They have two grown children and three grand children that they love to visit!

Morgan loves to talk about our Unity principles and share how we demonstrate these principles in powerful loving service at Unity on the River. Morgan plays a supportive role to our administrative, financial, facilities, planning and volunteer activities as we create the foundation for our next step into greatness. Trained as a historian Morgan also enjoys sharing Unity history. His hobbies include jogging, eating, hiking, travel, and ice hockey and he welcomes invitations to join in any and all of those activities!