Congratulations to the Lake Country Unitarian Universalist Church (Hartland, WI), for being the newest UUA Breakthrough Congregation! Each year the UUA’s Congregational Life Office recognizes a handful of congregations that have “broken through” barriers to achieve exemplary goals.

Lake Country Unitarian Universalist Church is highlighted in the current 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 the Lawrence congregation. We hope that this enables lively discussions for your congregational leaders.

 

Questions for Discussion and Deeper Study

Rev. Shaw states that at Lake Country you can “walk in on day one and know that is your house too.”

 

Questions for Discussion

• What are some of the ways in which Lake Country conveys this message?”
• In what ways does your congregation convey this message?
• What else can your congregation be doing to state this message loud and clear?

 

The congregation is firmly committed to demonstrating its values to the surrounding community.

 

Questions for Discussion

• What are some examples of how Lake Country does this?
• How does your congregation reflect its values in the community beyond your walls?

 

Lake Country prides itself on its diversity, including political diversity.

 

Questions for Discussion

• How diverse is your congregation politically?
• In what ways can you make additional space in your congregation for people along the political spectrum?

 

One of the congregation’s charter members points out that “You never arrive. You keep changing.”

 

• Is your congregation trying to “arrive’? What would that look like?
• In what ways is your congregation continually changing?

 

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