New Suburban Congregation Tries a Different Approach

The founders of Harmony UU asked themselves how to attract parents in their 30s and 40s with incredibly demanding schedules who still wanted the full UU experience. Read how their inquiry has grown into a vibrant new congregation. -Ed. Harmony Unitarian Universalist Church in Mason, Ohio, on the growing northeast side of Cincinnati, held its first worship service in the fall of 2009 with seven families in attendance. As of this fall it has around 150 adults and children on the rolls. Almost half that number are children aged 10 and under. Because it has grown so quickly—the church is 30 minutes from the nearest other Unitarian Universalist (UU) congregation—and because at this point it remains entirely lay-led, Harmony leaders are understandably hard-pressed to keep up with the demands of congregational life. So they’ve made a couple of adaptations to the ways that many other congregations “do church.” Read the full story.