University Lutheran Church & Student Center sits on Elm Avenue in Norman, one block west of the University of Oklahoma campus, and has been there for more than half a century. The congregation began in 1963 as a student ministry, grew into a parish that serves both college students and longtime Norman residents, and continues to mark its life by the sacraments, music, and a long list of hands-on ministries that reach across the city and the wider world. As the congregation frames its own life, it centers on three connections: connecting to God in Word and Sacrament, connecting to each other in a caring community, and connecting outward through service to neighbors near and far.
From Student Ministry to a Congregation of All Ages
In 1955 the Oklahoma District of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod purchased two apartments and the lot at 914 Elm Avenue for $22,000, and for nine years those buildings housed Lutheran student ministry at OU. In 1963 University Lutheran Chapel was organized, and Pastor William H. Hecht was called as its first pastor. The first worship service was held at a fraternity house at 815 South Jenkins in Norman in 1964, and the congregation was officially organized on December 13, 1964. On April 25, 1965, the first service took place in the new chapel.
Over the decades the focus shifted from a purely student ministry to a congregational ministry with a specific outreach to college students, seeking to involve them in all aspects of the congregation's life and ministries. Pastor David Klumpp followed Hecht and began his ministry on January 1, 1968. In 1975 the congregation dedicated the Pentecost stained glass window that still adorns the sanctuary.
A defining denominational chapter came in 1986, when the congregation voted to leave the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod and affiliate with the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches (AELC), preparatory to the 1987 merger that formed the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) in 1988. Two capital campaigns followed. Building to Serve in 2011-2012 produced a new education and office wing, and Building2Serve in 2015-2017 brought a much-needed renovation, expansion, and construction of a new kitchen, fellowship hall, and music space, completed without any additional loans. The newly renovated spaces were blessed and dedicated in 2017, and all construction and building debts were retired by 2021.
In 2023 the church added a columbarium on the southeast side of the building, with a small patio, benches, and a garden where members can spend time with their dearly departed. Solar panels followed in 2025, raised and installed within four months through a joint effort of the Green Team and the Facilities Committee.
Two Sunday Services, Liturgical and Contemporary
Two Sunday morning services give the congregation a choice of style. The earlier service features a contemporary band, and the later service features the choir and organ. Both services celebrate Holy Communion every week, and the language of both is English. The parish proclaims the message of God's reconciling work revealed in Jesus Christ and proceeding in the Spirit of God, accepts the canonical Scriptures as the inspired Word of God, and looks to the Apostles' Creed, the Nicene Creed, the Athanasian Creed, the Unaltered Augsburg Confession, and the Lutheran Confessional Writings in the Book of Concord as faithful summaries of the apostolic faith. Baptism is celebrated as the foundational sacrament that joins a person to Christ's death and resurrection, and the Eucharist is at the very center of worship, with Lutherans confessing the Real Presence of Christ in the bread and wine as a holy mystery. Private confession and absolution is offered several times a year or by appointment with the pastor.
Recorded services are posted on the church's YouTube channel for those who cannot attend in person.
SOUL: Campus Ministry That Still Meets on Wednesdays
The campus ministry that started everything is now called SOUL, for Students of University Lutheran. SOUL gathers each Wednesday at 6 p.m. at the church for a home-cooked meal provided by members, then moves into discussion. Topics range from Christian theology and doctrine to social justice and faith in daily life, and the gathering is open to students of any background. SOUL is a network that includes current students, former students, OU professors, faculty, and staff, and it functions as a faith community that supports its members through the college years and beyond. The group meets in the church conference room during the school year, and participants decide on a semester-long discussion topic together.
Christian Education for Every Age
Between the two Sunday morning services, from 10:00 to 10:45 a.m., Sunday School meets for children in Pre-K through grade 5. Each month these classes dive into a Biblical story to understand its context and its meaning for today. High school students in grades 9-12 gather at the same hour for a weekly discussion of a chosen topic or the week's Scripture readings, and they also use the time to plan upcoming youth activities.
Confirmation instruction is offered for grades 6-8 during the same Sunday morning hour. In the eighth grade year, students work with an adult mentor from the congregation to complete a series of discipleship projects. For older teens and adults who were not confirmed in middle school, the church makes arrangements for discussion and instruction on request.
Adults meet between the services in the SOUL lounge.
Music in Three Forms
Music runs through the life of the church in three forms. The choir, directed by organist Scott Raab, rehearses at 7 p.m. on Wednesdays (except in summer) and sings anthems, hymns, and offertories at the second Sunday service and at special services throughout the year. The band, led by Holly and Art Lantagne, rehearses at 7 p.m. on Wednesdays and plays Scripture-based contemporary music and hymns at the first Sunday service. Holly Lantagne coordinates the music for the early service. During Easter, Christmas, and other special services, members perform in small ensembles, and the church occasionally hosts recitals by University of Oklahoma music students. The renovated music space added in the Building2Serve campaign supports all of this work.
The Green Team: Styrofoam, Solar, and Stewardship
The Green Team is one of the church's most visible ministries. Its strategy is education followed by action, and three programs anchor the work. GREENSpeak, a quarterly education series open to the public, helped spark Churches Caring for Creation, a coalition of fourteen Norman-area churches that support one another's environmental activities.
Started in 2019, the Styrofoam Recycling program accepts food and packaging foam from across central Oklahoma, including the Pioneer Library System, retail stores, the University of Oklahoma, the City of Norman, high schools, and individuals. A mobile densifying unit breaks, heats, and molds the foam into forty-pound logs that are sold to a regional recycler. In 2025, the team sold 17,000 logs to a recycling operation in north Texas and is filling the shelves again for another large shipment expected by the second quarter of 2026.
The solar panel campaign, a dream for years, was launched jointly by the Green Team and the Facilities Committee in late 2025. Within four months the funds were raised and the panels installed, meeting the federal incentive deadline with a five-year projected payback. EightTwenty is the church's solar vendor partner.
Voices for the Voiceless, Hunger Relief, and Quilts
Refugee support happens on three levels. Within the congregation, Voices for the Voiceless hosts speakers, special worship services, and fundraisers to educate, inspire, and lead the parish in all matters related to refugees and immigration. In Norman, the church is a member of the Norman Coalition for Refugee Support, a coalition of nine houses of worship that coordinate with local and international partner agencies to help refugees settle and find meaningful livelihoods in Norman. Nationally, the church supports AMMPARO, the ELCA's ministry of protection, advocacy, and representation for migrant minors.
Hunger relief is woven into congregational life. Members drop off food at the church for delivery to Norman's Food & Shelter and at the OU Food Pantry just down the street. The church sponsors teams for the annual Cleveland County/Norman Crop Hunger Walk. Members prepare meals for neighbors in need, and gardeners in the congregation share fresh produce with the wider community in support of Food & Shelter.
The quilting team meets on the second Saturday of each month to cut, piece, and sew quilts. Some members work from home. The quilts are shipped through Lutheran World Relief to people in need around the world.
Women of the Word, WELCA, and Lutheran Youth
Women of the Word, or WOW, selects one book a month for reading and discussion. The group meets in the fellowship hall from noon to 1 p.m. every Friday except December and welcomes women of all ages.
Women of the ELCA, or WELCA, gathers at noon on the third Wednesday of each month in the church high school room. Participants bring a Bible, a lunch if they wish, and the Gather magazine if they subscribe.
Lutheran Youth Organization, or LYO, is open to youth in grades 6-12. Activities take place both at the church and with the Arkansas-Oklahoma Synod LYO throughout the year, and adults support youth-led service and leadership projects.
Weddings, Funerals, and the Columbarium
The church hosts weddings and has a written wedding guide and policies that couples consult before scheduling. All weddings must be scheduled at least three months in advance. A funeral planning form is also available, so members can put their wishes on paper for the church and loved ones to use when the time comes. Members and their families also have access to the columbarium on the southeast side of the building for inurnment, with policies and an application available through the church office.
The Endowment Trust
The Endowment Trust, organized in 2000 under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, augments the congregation's programs and ministries. Five trustees elected by the membership oversee the trust, and applications are accepted from church committees and individuals. In 2024 the trust disbursed $4,000 to the church to fund approved requests. Donations of cash and stock are welcome, with a brokerage account available for transfers.
Visiting University Lutheran
The church sits at 914 Elm Avenue in Norman, one block west of Cate Cafeteria on the OU campus, with the front entrance facing Elm Street and a parking lot behind the building off College Avenue. From I-35, the Lindsey Street exit leads east for about 1.5 miles; the parking lot is just past Chautauqua Avenue on the south side of College Avenue, with entry through the double doors on the south end of the gray brick wall.
Sunday morning parking is also available at the Wesley Foundation across Elm Street from the church's front entrance; no permit is required on Sundays. During the week, members who use the west parking lot need a parking decal to avoid towing. A limited number of permits are available in the west lot for OU students during the fall and spring semesters, and paid parking is offered for OU home football games.
The current chapter of University Lutheran Church and Student Center is led by Pastor Logan Kruck, installed in June 2026 after serving the congregation as a supply pastor during the call process that began in May 2025. Music Director Scott Raab, who previously served as Canon Musician at St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral in Oklahoma City for forty-four years before retiring in 2022, directs the choir and serves as organist. Holly Lantagne coordinates the early service music and, together with Art Lantagne, leads the contemporary band. Elisa Long serves as parish administrator and editor of the Shalom newsletter. Debbie Downey serves as accountant and supports the giving program that funds the church's many ministries.