Unity was co-founded by Charles and Myrtle Fillmore in 1889. It began as a prayer group that met on Sunday afternoons. Soon classes began in order to teach universal Truth, with a distinctly Christian emphasis. In 1890, Silent Unity a 24/7 prayer ministry was formed. It has been in existence continuously for over 100 years. Charles Fillmore defined Unity as the "link in the great educational movement inaugurated by Jesus Christ, our objective is to discern the truth in Christianity and to prove it. The truth that we teach is not new, neither do we claim special revelations or discovery of new religious principles. Our purpose is to help and teach mankind to use and prove the eternal Truth taught by the Master." Unity is a way of life. It provides a way to apply the teachings of Jesus in a meaningful and practical way. It does not require acceptance of any creed or dogma. James Dillet Freeman, poet laureate of Unity, said Unity is "The universal church of the liberated individual, not a set of beliefs everyone is required to accept, but a set of directions anyone may follow to become the perfect person Life made them to be and to fashion the perfect world Love and Intelligence had in mind."