Across from the UT Tower
University Christian Church sits directly across from the University of Texas at Austin, on the corner of 21st Street and University Avenue. Just steps from the UT campus, the mid-century limestone sanctuary has been a fixture of Austin's university district since 1954, when it was built for a congregation that grew out of a Bible study program that had served UT students since 1905.
UCC belongs to the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), a movement it describes as working "for wholeness in a fragmented world, welcoming all to the table as Christ has welcomed us." The congregation takes seriously God's call to love, affirm, and welcome every person, without exception, regardless of race, gender, class, sexual orientation, political affiliation, or disability. Worship is held Sundays at 11 a.m., in person and online, and the church's motto is "You are so loved."
A Sanctuary of Stone, Glass, and Sound
Approaching the church from University Avenue, the first thing many visitors notice is the artistry worked into the building itself. The stone exterior features carved figures along the facade; inside, the Apostles' Shields mark the wooden doors of the narthex with bas-relief portraits of the apostles, and a mural decorates the Nordan Student Lounge.
The sanctuary nods to the Gothic architecture of the great European cathedrals yet remains rooted in mid-twentieth-century American design. Stained glass windows line both sides of a high, open nave, including the Apostles' Windows, the Narthex Windows, the Chapel Windows, and the Great Window. Willet Stained Glass Studios, with Marguerite Gaudin and Ann Willet Kellogg among the artists, produced much of the glass. The building also features work by the noted Austin sculptor Charles Umlauf, whose carvings add a distinctive Austin touch to the sacred space.
The sanctuary seats up to 275 guests and houses a pipe organ and grand piano. Music Director Laura Martin oversees a Chancel Choir made up of volunteers and Choral Scholars, UT undergraduate and graduate music students, who sing a wide variety of music and present a choral anthem and solos most Sundays. The acoustically distinctive room lets organ, choir, and congregational song fill the nave.
More recently, the church's Endowment for Creative Ministry commissioned a semi-permanent outdoor work, "Sunray Cat (for UCC Austin)," by Billy Joe Miller. Unveiled in 2024, the abstract deconstructed arch in powder-coated aluminum is set among native plantings in front of the limestone building. Its reflective surface is animated by visitors and weather, and the work was conceived as a gesture of welcome, asking how communities can "heal divides and provide shelter, sanctuary, and hope."
Sunday Morning Worship
Worship at UCC is described as "traditional, intentional, and beautiful." Each Sunday service includes congregational singing led by the choir and organ, scripture readings, prayers, and a sermon. Communion is shared every Sunday, and the table is open to everyone.
Music plays a central role in the service. The Chancel Choir and Choral Scholars perform regularly, and a children's prayer hymn rotates by season, simple and easy enough for the youngest voices to learn. For those unable to attend in person, services are livestreamed on the church's YouTube channel, and recordings of recent sermons remain available there.
Children and the PrayGround
UCC describes itself as a "kid and youth-friendly church" and welcomes children fully into the life of the congregation. Children can serve as acolytes or bread bearers during worship, and the sanctuary includes a PrayGround area where kids can color, look at books, and absorb the service while staying engaged. Glider chairs are also available for parents who want to sit with their young ones.
Children's Sunday School meets at 9:30 a.m. on Sundays, and a nursery is available every Sunday from 9:30 a.m. through 12:15 p.m. for infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and kindergartners. A weekly Children's Bulletin helps young worshippers follow along with the service.
College Ministry and Labyrinth
Just across from one of the largest public universities in the country, UCC has long been a gathering place for college students. The church partners with Labyrinth, a progressive student ministry, to host programs that reach the UT community. Recurring events include Amazing Graze, a free food giveaway in the courtyard, and Student Lunch at Gabriel's, a meal shared with students after Sunday worship.
During Holy Week, students at UT gather for an Easter Egg Hunt on the South Lawn; in Advent, the chancel choir and chamber orchestra offer a choral cantata such as Taylor Scott Davis's Magnificat. College ministry work has been part of UCC's identity since the founding of the Texas Bible Chair in 1904.
Classes, Groups, and Lifelong Learning
Adult formation at UCC takes many shapes. The Seekers class, established as a Sunday school class in October 1983 and still meeting today, gathers in the Wassenich classroom at 9:30 a.m. on Sundays for study and conversation led by a rotation of teachers. The Forum Book Study meets on Zoom at 4 p.m. on Tuesdays and chooses one theological book at a time; past authors include Robin Wall Kimmerer, Richard Rohr, Marcus Borg, Thomas Cahill, Thich Nhat Hanh, and A.J. Jacobs. A Book Group meets two to four times a year on Zoom in the evening, reading widely across biblical studies, mental health, justice, and spirituality.
Seasonal offerings include morning prayer on Zoom and Facebook Live, Wednesday noon prayer in the chapel, lectio divina groups, and email devotionals. Margaret Krofron, the Director of Faith Development, oversees this work alongside the children's and youth ministry. Young-ish Adults, those roughly ages 22 to 45, gather every few months for outings such as bowling or a family-friendly brewery visit, and the UCC Green Team, formed in 2021, works to creatively care for creation and respond to climate change. Senior Minister Rev. Megan Peglar also hosts monthly Coffee Hours at a local coffee shop and Wednesday Coffee with Rev. Megan gatherings in the building.
A History Rooted in Austin's University District
The story of University Christian Church begins in 1903, when Mrs. M.M. Blanks attended a convention at Chautauqua, New York, and met Dr. Herbert Willett of the Michigan Bible Chair and Dr. Charles A. Young of the Virginia Bible Chair. The following year, Blanks deeded property at 21st and University Avenue to the Christian Women Board of Missions for the Texas Bible Chair at the University of Texas. In 1905, Dr. Frank L. Jewett began teaching classes in borrowed space; two purpose-built Texas Bible Chair buildings followed in 1908.
After World War II, with veterans flooding UT on the GI Bill, the Bible Chair needed a larger church home. On November 3, 1946, eleven founding members, twenty student members, and sixteen associate members gathered for the first Sunday worship service of University Christian Church in the Texas Bible Chair building, with Dr. Paul Wassenich serving as unpaid, temporary pastor. The Rev. T.W. Sisterson became the first paid minister in September 1947, and F. Winston "Windy" Savage founded what would become one of UCC's strongest and most enduring ministries, the choir, that same fall. In December 1946, the new UCC Board established a "Tillotson College Loan Fund" to support the nearby Black college that would become Huston-Tillotson University.
Construction on the present sanctuary began in 1953, and the building was dedicated on May 23, 1954, the site of UCC's first ordination service for the Rev. Neil Guy in June of that year. The Rev. Lawrence Bash, who arrived in 1949, shepherded the church through its building campaign before departing for Kansas City in late 1959. The Rev. Dr. William T. "Bill" Gibble was called in 1960 and served until 1966; the Rev. William C. Howland Jr. followed. Dr. Harold Dowler began a long tenure in 1974, joined in 1977 by Clay Boyer in a team ministry that shaped the congregation's life through retreats at Mo Ranch, summer camps, a UCC basketball team in the city's Parks and Recreation league, and a Soup and Sandwich lunch-and-speaker program. The mortgage for the educational wing was burned in 1984, the Texas Bible Chair ended its UT teaching role in 1987, and UCC marked its 50th anniversary in 1996.
Rev. Megan Peglar, UCC's current senior minister, has led the congregation through a season that included receiving a $60,000 Lilly Endowment National Clergy Renewal Program grant to support her sabbatical, with music at the heart of the renewal. She has also pursued a Doctor of Ministry at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary.
Micah 6 and the Work of Compassion
UCC's biggest community commitment is its long partnership with Micah 6, the largest food pantry in Austin, of which the church is a founding supporter. Members collect food, volunteer weekly at the pantry, and contribute financially year-round; during Advent and Easter, donations to Micah 6 are taken in lieu of lilies.
The church's wider network of ministry partners reflects a progressive Disciples commitment to justice and accompaniment. Be the Neighbor organizes serving and learning mission weeks focused on food justice, refugees and immigration, race and reconciliation, poverty relief, eco-justice, and homelessness; UCC hosts the related Be the Neighbor Meal monthly in the fellowship hall. LifeWorks, an advocacy organization for youth and families in Austin, is supported by UCC's funding of a full-time social worker and an office hosted in the church building. Southwest Good Samaritan Ministries serves refugees and asylum-seekers in South Texas. The Juliette Fowler Communities in Dallas serves seniors, children, youth, and families. iACT (Interfaith Action of Central Texas) cultivates peace and respect through interfaith dialogue.
University High School, the only high school in Austin for students recovering from substance use disorder, shares UCC's facilities for weekday classes, graduations, and events. Each year, UCC gives $5,000 to the music program at Jarvis Christian University, a historically Black university affiliated with the Christian Church, to honor formerly enslaved siblings in Christ who first gave voice to the spirituals sung in worship. UCC also contributes to Brite Divinity School, Bethany Fellows, the National Benevolent Association, and Street Youth Ministry, and has previously donated two micro-homes to Community First! Village.
UCC's outreach also extends through Week of Compassion, the relief, refugee, and development mission fund of the Christian Church, and through CROP Hunger Walk, an annual event the church supports with both walkers and donations. Twenty-five percent of funds raised locally return to agencies in Austin, including Micah 6, the Central Texas Food Bank, and Casa Marianella.
Open and Affirming, Green Chalice, Anti-Racist
UCC identifies itself as an Open and Affirming congregation, a designation that formally welcomes LGBTQ+ members. The church describes itself as progressive and open-minded, a place where visitors will find space to ask big questions and seek to address injustices together.
In 2022, UCC became a Green Chalice congregation, joining a program of Disciples Home Missions that encourages creation care and environmental stewardship. The church also engages in anti-racism efforts and supports interfaith dialogue through its work with iACT. The Disciples identity shapes how UCC understands Christian unity: members hold that Christians are free to follow their consciences, guided by Bible study, the Holy Spirit, reason, and prayer. Communion is offered to all who wish to receive it, every Sunday.
Planning Your Visit
Sunday worship takes place at 11 a.m. in the sanctuary. A side door to the right of the main double doors is accessible for anyone using mobility assistance equipment, and the building is wheelchair accessible throughout. Enhanced audio devices are available for the service.
Free Sunday parking is available in the Rowling Hall Garage on the southeast corner of 20th and Guadalupe Streets. Enter the garage on 20th, pull a ticket, and pick up a validation QR code in the narthex after worship; the validation ticket is one-use only. ADA-accessible parking spaces are available on W 21st Street directly in front of the sanctuary.
The church office is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and can be reached at 512-477-6104 or admin@ucc-austin.org. The weekly bulletin, livestream, and online giving are all available through the church, and those interested in hosting a wedding at UCC can inquire about either the Sanctuary or the more intimate Nordan Chapel, which seats up to 40 guests.