Congratulations to the Harmony Unitarian Universalist Community in Landen, Ohio, for being the newest UUA Breakthrough Congregation! Each year the UUA’s Office of Growth Strategies recognizes a handful of congregations that have “broken through” barriers to achieve exemplary goals.

Harmony Unitarian Universalist Community is highlighted in the winter edition of the UUWorld, which will be hitting Unitarian Universalist members’ mailboxes at any moment. The following study guide is intended to accompany the article about Harmony.  We hope that this enables lively discussions for your congregational leaders.

 

Questions for Discussion and Deeper Study

 

With such a large ratio of children to adults, Harmony is very intentional in including children in the life of the community.

 

Questions for Discussion

• What are some of the ways in which Harmony does this?
• How is your congregation including children and youth in your community life?”
• What changes would your congregation have to make in order to better include children and youth in community life?

 

Harmony prides itself on being “one-hundred percent volunteer-run.”

 

Questions for Discussion

• What are some of the ways in which Harmony promotes volunteerism?
• How prevalent is volunteerism in your congregation?
• What are some of the barriers to volunteerism in your congregation and what are strategies to overcome these barriers?

 

The atmosphere at Harmony is low-key and friendly, with an emphasis on intimacy.

Questions for Discussion

• How would you characterize the atmosphere at your congregation?
• What are some strategies for implementation in your congregation to become friendlier and to achieve a greater sense of intimacy?

 

The Co-President calls Harmony “the un-church”.

 

Questions for Discussion

• What are some of the examples cited in the article that give Harmony this title?
• What emotions and thoughts does the phrase “un-church” raise for you?
• What are some of the practices in your congregation that would be considered “un-church’ like?

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This Study Guide creator is Mark Bernstein, Regional Consultant for Growth Development with the Central Eastern Regional Group.  CERG offers many excellent growth resources. Please check them out! Thank you, Mark, for so generously serving our faith.