Membership at Harmony Unitarian Universalist
Considering making Harmony your spiritual home? Here’s a brief overview to help you decide if you want to join our Unitarian Universalist community. (If you’re ready to join, send an email membership@harmonyuu.org.)
Our Unitarian Universalist Mission
You have a unique opportunity to be a part of one of the only completely lay-led Unitarian Universalist churches in the United States. We aim to be an open and welcoming religious community, embarking together on an intellectual and spiritual search for truth and meaning. We walk together with compassion for our Earth, our families, our communities and each other, sharing the delight of our joys and the burden of our sorrows, and promoting peace and justice.
We have worked hard to become a Welcoming Congregation, which means we publicly and actively welcome bisexual, gay, lesbian and transgender people. We also developed our own comprehensive UU Religious Exploration (RE) program for our children. And we did this all through the efforts of volunteers.
How We Began
Harmony formed in September 2009 when a few members started meeting in homes, working under the guidance of the Heartland District (now known as the MidWest America Region) of the Unitarian Universalist Association. As it has grown, Harmony has had many homes before deciding to rent from Lakeview United Church of Christ at 8639 Columbia Rd., Maineville, OH, in July 2013. These locations included:
- Ramada Inn of Mason, January 2010
- Agora Community Bookstore, Mason, February 2010
- B’nai Tikvah Synagogue, Mason, July 2010
- 300 West Church St., Mason, February 2011 (Built in 1835 by the Universalist Society of Mason)
Supported and Run by Members
As a cooperative community, we rely on our members to volunteer as a means of carrying out all of the necessary work to run Harmony. It costs about $1,140 to run each Sunday service (rent, utilities, dues, coffee, etc.) and we pay $80 a year per member to the Unitarian Universalist Association, our parent organization. It takes a team of volunteers to run a service each week.
To help cover these costs and provide a quality service, each member at Harmony is required to contribute their time, talent, and money. This helps us remain a caring, stimulating, accepting, and solvent community. The average annual pledge is about $1,000 per member, with individual pledge amounts ranging from $5 to $325 per month.
Benefits of Joining Harmony
Each member has a unique set of reasons why they choose to be part of Harmony. Here are some of the main benefits of membership:
- Full participation in a tight community of friends and neighbors who share your beliefs and work together for a common mission.
- Opportunity to deliver and hear inspiring sermons on topics you care about.
- Involvement in social justice and community service initiatives with your community and the world.
- High quality Religious Exploration programs and classes for your children.
- Engaging, inspiring adult Religious Exploration programs and classes for you.
- Convenient service times and social events in the community where you live.
- Having a warm, caring place to call your spiritual home.
Membership Agreement
When you decide to become a member of Harmony, you are asked to make the following commitments to our cooperative community:
- Monthly financial pledge (you choose the amount)
- Volunteer 5 times every six months (you select the roles, tasks, and dates of service)
- Abide by our Covenant of Right Relations
Ready to join Harmony—or want more info? Just send an email to membership@harmonyuu.org
