Hilltop Lutheran Church has a rich 90+year history at 12 South Terrace Avenue on the near west side of Columbus, Ohio. In October 2002 Hilltop Lutheran merged with and became the third location of suburban Upper Arlington Lutheran Church.

The neighborhood surrounding the church is one of the poorest areas in Central Ohio. Data from the 2000 Census indicates that, within the neighborhood’s racially diverse population of around 5,512, 18% of married-couple families, 40% of female householders, and 23% of individuals are officially living in poverty. The area has a mobility rate around 40% forced by a lack of affordable housing (45% of renters and 35% of homeowners pay more than 30% of their annual income on housing) and employment issues (34% of adults over 25 years did not graduate from high school).

The people of Hilltop Lutheran Church actively work to connect with the community and culture in which God has placed them through a free clothing closet; mentoring and reading programs at nearby Highland Elementary School; summer arts camps; free Sunday morning breakfasts and Friday evening cook-outs; 12-Step Recovery programs, and Harbor on the Hill: a Saturday evening meal, worship and small group support program for returning ex-offenders.

But there are times in the lives of our people when all that just isn’t enough. So the church welcomes HCCDC as a partner in God’s continuing work on The Hill. Our role is to bear witness to the Kingdom of God by providing timely, competent assistance to Hilltop individuals who are making personal investments in their own long-term transformation.