How Daily Word Went Global

Unity doesn’t have missionaries—or does it?

In the early years of Unity, Truth students traveled abroad to share Unity principles and pamphlets. American troops carried copies of Daily Word® and Unity pamphlets while serving on foreign soil. Their sharing of this simple yet meaningful little magazine stirred interest and brought comfort during unsettling times. Much of the work abroad began with these individuals.

Today’s “missionaries” are called “affiliates” who volunteer their time and use their own resources to reprint and distribute Daily Word. Unity provides a digital file containing the magazine’s articles and daily messages, then affiliates print and mail to their subscribers.

Daily Word in Translation

At various times, Daily Word has been translated into Afrikaans, Chinese, Dutch, French, Russian, and Tamil. Because affiliates are self-supporting, their ability to translate and produce a magazine can change. On its 100th anniversary, the magazine is being distributed in English, German, Portuguese, and Spanish, reaching more than 100 countries.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, while supply and mail systems were halted in many countries, affiliates relied on the internet to deliver the daily message to subscribers, sometimes meeting online or sharing the messages in emails. Not even a pandemic could interrupt these affiliates’ service to others.

Unity had already started translating some of its publications into Spanish when Daily Word was created in 1924, but it was three decades before the magazine was translated as La Palabra Diaria. It is still translated at Unity Village and circulated to Spanish-speaking readers, many of them in the United States as well as other countries. Rev. Carmen Fe Figueroa in the Dominican Republic leads a robust outreach for La Palabra Diaria, hosting weekly radio and television programs where she shares some of the messages.

In the case of the German and Portuguese editions, volunteers translate the magazine and produce it for distribution. These devoted individuals make sure subscribers have ready access to daily inspiration. However, the methods they have for sharing Daily Word vary.

Trinidad and Tobago

More than 20 years ago, Rev. Anthony Habib in Trinidad and Tobago felt Daily Word should be readily available to everyone. He began offering the magazines in dress shops, bakeries, bookstores, movie theaters, grocery stores, and more. The magazines were placed in a decorated box with a slot for payment. Offered on the honor system, there was always more money in the box than expected from the sale of the magazines. This method of distributing Daily Word continues today in Trinidad and Tobago.

Guyana

Rev. Daniel Fisher in Guyana worked for a power company by day while overseeing the printing and distribution of Daily Word in his off-time. He also served as the director of Silent Unity in Guyana. He maintained a “Unity” phone in his work office (with the approval of his supervisor) and one beside his bed so he would always be available to answer calls, whether for the magazine or for prayer support. I remember being on a call with Fisher when his special “Unity” phone rang beside him. Fisher tucked the receiver with my call under his leg as he took the other call. Upon returning, he apologized, saying calls on the other phone were confidential—a sacred trust maintained by Silent Unity throughout the world.

Haiti

Following the devastating earthquake of 2010 in Haiti, Rev. Yves Lafontant, former director of La Parole Quotidienne, the French edition of Daily Word, teamed with Revs. Carmen Fe Figueroa and Sarah Sanchez to help create an undated version of Daily Word. Without dates attached, its messages could be read anywhere, anytime. Select messages were chosen to support current circumstances in Haiti. Lafontant translated the messages into French in a matter of days. Transport in and out of Haiti was limited to emergency services only, so Figueroa and Sanchez stepped up to get the magazine printed and hand-carried over the Dominican Republic border into Haiti where it was distributed by a group of volunteers.

Later, Rev. Beatriz Bell and her husband Frank also produced a version of this same undated magazine in Spanish. They worked through emergency service organizations to distribute it in regions of Argentina where devastating mud slides and other natural disasters had occurred. (Their story is later in this book.)

Venezuela and Jamaica

In Venezuela, Rev. Lourdes Alvarez-Collado and a team of volunteers ride the city buses handing out free copies of La Palabra Diaria. The messages of hope and inspiration encourage many facing economic challenges.

In Jamaica, Rev. Valerie Freckleton took to the streets to hand out copies of Daily Word and pray with those in bars and poor areas of town. Because of her work, she was asked to lead a meeting between rival gang members.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, while supply and mail systems were halted in many countries, affiliates relied on the internet to distribute the daily message to subscribers, sometimes meeting online or sharing the messages in emails. Not even a pandemic could interrupt the affiliates’ service to others.

The powerful messages tucked inside the 80 pages we know as the bimonthly Daily Word have encompassed our world through the dedication of volunteer affiliates and other ordinary people who share them in unique ways and during unusual circumstances. Truly, Daily Word has traveled throughout the world on the wings of love.

Excerpted from the book 100 Years of Daily Word (Unity Books, 2023).