Together is a campaign to carry forward the legacy of UALC to be a gospel oasis for future generations.
PRIMARY GOAL — 100% PARTICIPATION
We want every person who calls UALC home to grow in Christ and strengthen the unity of our church by participating in this campaign. We invite everyone to a spiritually catalytic encounter with God about giving a financial sacrifice and about taking next steps of faith as the Spirit leads.
SECONDARY GOAL — $10 MILLION
We are seeking and praying for the funds to renovate our buildings and grounds to pursue our vision to be an Oasis of God’s Kingdom for the dry and thirsty world around us.
Remembering God’s Faithfulness
Founding
Upper Arlington Lutheran Church was founded as a mission to a new community in Columbus in the 1950s. Beginning in the basement of a private home, the church grew quickly. After outgrowing a basement, UALC began to meet at what is now the Wellington School, before building their first sanctuary on Lytham Road.
Looking Forward
UALC’s campuses at Mill Run and Lytham Road tell a story. They point to the faithfulness of God, and the people who’ve called UALC home over the last 70 years. They also speak to the significance of the mission and message we carry – both buildings stand as fixtures of the community and beacons of the Gospel. We desire that these buildings continue to serve our mission and ministry well for years to come.
For two years, we’ve listened to staff, ministry leaders, and congregants, gathering information on what could help our facilities better serve our ministries and tell the story of UALC. The result of that work is a full “master plan” for both campuses. That full plan is something we can work toward over the course of the next decade. What you will read about in this guidebook, and hear about in this campaign series, is the first sequence in that plan. For the next 3–5 years, we will be primarily focused on the needs of the Lytham Road Campus.
The goal of these improvements is to refresh and restore the campus for years of ministry to come.
Sanctuaries
LYTHAM ROAD CAMPUS
The Lytham Road sanctuary is classic and beautiful. But, like Mill Run, it will also benefit from updates that refresh the look of the space. We can enhance both Modern and Traditional worship through updates to the lighting, technical systems, as well as chancel size and accessibility. Additionally, the sanctuary update will create a dedicated cry room, more flexible seating areas, and improved accessibility for congregants with wheelchairs or walkers, including access to the choir loft for those who wish to continue their music ministry.
MILL RUN CAMPUS
In the summer of 2021, the church was able to make substantial updates to the Mill Run sanctuary. This included refreshing finishes like paint, flooring and upholstery. It also included technical systems that allowed for livestreaming and improved audio and visual presentation to enhance worship.
Lobby and Fireside
LYTHAM ROAD CAMPUS
Planned renovations for the Lytham Road lobby area will greatly expand the capacity of the lobby for Sunday morning fellowship and special events throughout the week. An updated fireside lounge will function well to serve coffee on Sunday mornings, and to host small groups, prayer groups, and meetings throughout the week. So much of our community life together happens in these common spaces, that these updates have the potential to make the Lytham Road Campus feel more welcoming and vibrant, in service of our mission.
MILL RUN CAMPUS
At Mill Run, there is plenty of lobby space, but future renovations to the lobby can greatly improve traffic flow, sight lines, and warmth. Eventual plans for the Mill Run lobby involve relocating the elevator to open up the first-impression when guests enter the space. We also imagine elements in the lobby that will help to bring the scale of the space down to a warmer, more personal size. What is currently called “Room 2031/32” would become the Mill Run “fireside lounge” to match Lytham Road, providing the same warm, comfortable environment for meetings, prayer groups, small groups, and other ministry use.
Kids and Youth Spaces
LYTHAM ROAD CAMPUS
Changes at Lytham Road will include a new kids’ ministry area on the main floor of the building, including moving the nursery up to the main floor near the lobby. We believe this will better serve our parents and kids, and better reflect our value for reaching the next generation at the church. We will also be able to expand the preschool by two classrooms and create a youth space for middle school and high school programming.
MILL RUN CAMPUS
Mill Run will benefit from better furnishing and equipping of rooms that are used for kid and youth ministries. Additionally, increased visibility of kid and youth spaces will help our youngest members know that there is a place for them to belong at the church.
Education and Event Spaces
LYTHAM ROAD CAMPUS
Fellowship hall and Founders’ Hall both get used for large group Bible studies, Sunday school, and other large-group events. In this renovation, these spaces will be refreshed and outfitted with new audio and visual equipment to improve our ability to host events, studies, and large group meetings. These spaces will be vital to a new all-church education program which is being planned to launch after the renovation is complete.
MILL RUN CAMPUS
Larger classrooms and the fellowship hall are in need of updates to audio and visual equipment. New systems in these rooms will allow ministries and ministry leaders to be more effective and selfsufficient in leading activities, teachings, etc., which increasingly include the use of microphones, TVs, and video teaching content.
Outdoor Spaces
LYTHAM ROAD CAMPUS
At Lytham Road we imagine new, accessible playground equipment for the preschool and neighborhood. We also imagine sport courts on the south parking lot to facilitate things like pickleball, basketball and other community activities. On the north side of the building, we envision tables for gathering, a fire pit for small groups or neighbors to use, and better use of green space. We can also improve landscaping to help our parking lots fit more seamlessly into the feeling of the Lytham Road neighborhood.
MILL RUN CAMPUS
The large, park-like space outside of Mill Run could be activated to function more like a neighborhood park for our members and the Mill Run community. We imagine adding a more effective amphitheater for outdoor worship and community events, a pavilion for groups to use for ministry events, playgrounds for older and younger children, a prayer garden, walking paths, and a dog park to help serve many of the pet owners in the neighboring apartments. All of this will allow us to grow our impact on our local neighbors and foster the kind of outreach we dream of for the Mill Run Campus.
Safety and Accessibility
LYTHAM ROAD CAMPUS
A major focus of the renovation at Lytham Road is to improve safety and accessibility in the building. Sprinkler systems will be installed throughout the building to help with fire safety. Door locks and improved security measures will also be part of the plan. Accessibility will be improved across the building. These improvements include: better access points to preschool classrooms, handicap accessible bathrooms, more flexible seating in the sanctuary to make space for wheelchairs, strollers, walkers, and a lift to improve access to the choir-room level of the building, the basement, and the sanctuary balcony.
MILL RUN CAMPUS
At Mill Run, handicapped and stroller parking will be added on the garden side of the sanctuary, allowing entry to the building much closer to the sanctuary. Improvements can also be made to existing bathrooms to aid accessibility. Outdoor features, like the playgrounds, amphitheater seating, walking paths, and prayer garden will also be designed with an eye to accessibility for people of all ages and abilities.
Supporting Systems
LYTHAM ROAD CAMPUS
The mechanical systems of Lytham Road are all in need of attention. In this renovation we will be able to repair or replace existing chillers and boilers, improving the climate control of the building and the efficiency of systems. Each room will also be better equipped with technology designed to facilitate the ministry in that space, including: TVs, audio amplification, electrical and wireless internet distribution, etc. Additionally, we will be able to address issues we currently have with moisture through better waterproofing of the foundation and grading of the outdoor space around the building.
MILL RUN CAMPUS
While we think of Mill Run as the “new campus” it is now 23 years old. The roof and many of the mechanical systems at Mill Run will soon be passing their expected lifespan and will be in need of repair or replacement. Additionally, improved technical systems in large group spaces and classrooms will help facilitate all of the many ministries that are hosted weekly at the Mill Run Campus.
