Story

Situated adjacent to the Michigan State University campus, the addition and renovations to University United Methodist Church makes the most of a limited site and provides two new inviting entries. Two related but separate entities, the Wesley Foundation and University United Methodist Church, operate in adjacent buildings; both were in need of additional space to continue to serve the community. To achieve this goal the addition of church offices, new entries, and classrooms were required to free space for the foundation and provide a more welcoming environment and sense of entry for the church.

Two new entries were designed; one from a beautiful, secluded memorial garden directly across from campus, the other from the parking area at the rear of the church. Both entries lead to the same large entry hall, which opens up to a new gathering area at the rear of the sanctuary, and an office reception desk which greets visitors to new first floor administrative offices. Above the gathering area, a balcony was added to house an additional one hundred seats for worship. The second floor and lower level of the addition contain youth classrooms, a nursery, and a music room. Open stairs and an elevator were added to provide an inviting means of accessing the classrooms and balcony seating.