Unity Church
of Hilton Head Island

REV. JUSTIN EPSTEIN

Rev. Justin Epstein

Raised Jewish, Justin attended Hebrew School through the sixth grade and received Bar Mitzvah in an orthodox temple, Though many seeds for the spiritual journey were planted growing up, it was as a freshman at James Madison University that he began to read and attend lectures by such people as Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, Robert Schuller, Swami Satchidananda, Dr. Maxwell Maltz, Wayne Dyer, Brian Tracy, Anthony Robbins, Unity authors and others. Fascinated with the spiritual journey and having natural talent in communication, Justin graduated Magna Cum Laude in Interpersonal Communications and Religion-philosophy. He also received the Religion Award and Warren Hobbie scholarship as “The Person Most Likely to Make a Difference Though Organized Religion.”

In 1993, Justin became one of the youngest ordained ministers in the history of Unity. He served as assistant minister at Christ Church Unity in Kansas City and Unity Church of Tidewater in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Inspired by the teachings of revered yogi sage Paramahansa Yogananda, author of the spiritual classic Autobiography of a Yogi, Justin lived, worked and studied for three years at Ananda Village, one of the most successful yoga-meditation retreats and spiritual communities in the world. There, he became a licensed Ananda yoga instructor and also began speaking in Unity, Religious Science and other new thought churches throughout Northern California. During this time, he also served as the part-time minister for a religious group, The Center for Creative Living in Placerville, California.

In the spring of 1999, Justin was hired as the Associate Minister to Eric Butterworth, prolific author and spiritual mentor to thousands such as Dr. Maya Angelou and Oprah Winfrey. Eric’s book Discover the Power Within You has been cited as one of Oprah’s top ten books of the past decade. Justin had the rare opportunity of befriending Eric and having many private conversations with him on a variety of topics, including golf! Justin Spoke at Lincoln Center 140 times, sharing the stage with such notables as Dr. Maya Angelou, Marianne Williamson, Les Brown and others. He also had a cable television show, “Practical Spirituality”, which aired weekly in Manhattan, Brooklyn and the Bronx. While in Manhattan, Justin graduated from the American Comedy Institute and performed in comedy clubs throughout New York City. In September 2004, he was hired as the Senior minister of the Unity Church of Hilton Head Island and has been enjoying the people, the island and the golf ever since. Justin’s column “Practical Spirituality” has been featured bi-monthly in the Bluffton Today since 2004. He is a frequent speaker for local groups, corporations and conferences. Justin teaches Psychology of Golf at the Professional Golfers Career College. He is the author of the CD program, “The Enlightened Golfer: Merging, Mind, Body & Spirit Through the Game” and has taught his ideas in seminars with hundreds of golfers throughout the Hilton Head area. Justin’s background of Judaism, Christianity, Yoga philosophy and personal development studies are evident in his Sunday messages and services.