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History of the
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The Unitarian Church had its beginnings in Transylvania between 1548 and 1574. Starting in 1815, 120 Congregational churches in England adopted Unitarian principles. By mid-19th century, both the Unitarians and Universalists held the same general principles with emphasis on congregational independence and humanitarian concerns. The two churches joined in 1961 to form the UUA.
Today the UUA membership is more than 200,000 children and adults with more than 1000 churches and fellowships in the United States and 48 churches in Canada.
The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Mountain Home had its start in July of 1977 when Wendall and Phyllis Haner and their friends, Karl and Alice Buff, were members of the Church of the Larger Fellowship of the Unitarian Universalist Association. Karl, a local builder and Realtor, placed an ad in the Baxter Bulletin inviting anyone interested in liberal religious ideas to join with them for discussion. A number of readers responded, and meetings were held in the homes of the several participants.
Attendance at these Sunday meetings slowly increased, and early in 1980 the group started to meet at the Area Information Center. On Nov. 24, 1981, the Fellowship was officially established when Rev. Russell W. Lockwood, a representative of the UUA, visited the group and welcomed them into membership in the national association of churches and fellowships. Some of the charter members included Wendall and Phyllis Haner, Karl and Alice Buff, Don and Marge Pellmann, Gerald and Aulene Gaige, Eleanor Schmieler, and Catherine Deckert.
A Brief History: UUism and the UUA
Unitarian Universalist Origins: Our Historic Faith