Here are electronic versions of the Annual Meeting Welcome Letter, the 2022 Agenda, Candidate Bios, 2022 Vision/Budget, and Minutes from the 2021 Annual Meeting. There will be printed copies available at the meeting on January 23, 2022.

Welcome to our two new Board of Directors members - Cody Branham and Chris Camper!

Cody Branham

My Name is Cody Branham, and I have been involved with Unity of Roanoke Valley for roughly four years. My wife and I were looking for a home church and were not having any luck when we stumbled onto Unity of Roanoke Valley's Website. We decided we would go one Sunday and see what we thought. With the amount of love and warmth we were greeted with, we just knew this was the place for us and have been here ever since.

After attending a few services, Sue introduced me to Skip when she found out that my background and degree were in audio engineering, and that was the beginning of me joining the AV team. When Covid hit, I brought up the idea of a parking lot service. I had been contracted to do several, including running sound and production for the Salem Civic Center Parking Lot, so I thought this was a great way to give back to Unity of Roanoke Valley. I have researched equipment and cost to live stream services as well, which is a great way to help people who physically cannot make it to church in person.

I believe in Unity of Roanoke Valley because I have seen how caring and compassionate URV is and how community-based it is. URV truly cares and gives back. This has helped me along the way in my personal journey. I have learned patience, don't focus on negative things, and let them go. I have grown a lot in my time at URV. I love to help people, give back, and spread positivity. I can bring some new ideas and hopefully help Unity of Roanoke Valley grow as well.

My skills include eleven years of management which has taught me to work as a team and handle difficult situations. I also own an insurance firm based on giving back, which has allowed me to help others who are struggling. I currently run a non-profit and am vice president of another, which has taught me how to properly delegate tasks, come together as a team, be open to ideas, and be creative to get the job done. I own a personal training business which has given me the opportunity to help motivate others and encourage them when they are at their lowest. I currently work at Motosport Roanoke as an advisor to their finances, goals, marketing, and a mechanic when needed. This has taught me to be flexible and open-minded and helped me develop creative problem-solving skills and teach people to be humble and that it's okay to admit mistakes and learn from them. It is a good opportunity to learn and grow from mistakes. 

Christine (Chris) Camper

My name is Chris Camper, and I have been attending Unity of Roanoke Valley since 2002. I had been looking for a spiritual home and visited several churches. The first Unity service I attended, Rev. Diane talked about gratitude, and I felt like I was finally at home. I couldn’t believe that “my” spiritual home was about a mile from my house!

Over the years, I have taken many classes, workshops and participated in the SpiritGroups (most recently co-hosted a Spirit Circle). I have volunteered for many activities, including party planning, helping in the kitchen, providing rides to church activities, and working on the playground and trails. I also served on the Unity Board of Directors during the building renovation project. Currently, I volunteer in Youth Education one Sunday a month, sing in the Unity Voices, and serve as a platform assistant.

One of the most important lessons I’ve learned through Unity is the 12 Powers. I have enjoyed contemplating/discussing the powers in the past and have set an intention for 2022 - to revisit one power each month.

I feel I can bring to the board my experience serving on different Unity teams and relationship-building skills from my facilitation experience. It would be an honor to serve Unity in this capacity. I hold a BBA from Roanoke College and am a Training and Technical Assistance Specialist with Families Forward VA. My husband and I have three grown children, one dog, and five grand-dogs.