By Liz Gordon-Hancock

Is Bluffton a destination location? Ryan and Jessica Meyer think so. 

The couple bought the True Word Tabernacle church, located at 104 E. Elm Street behind Town Hall, back in February 2023 with the vision of providing unique short- and long-term housing for Bluffton.

Back in 2021, the Meyers opened up a short-term vacation rental in rural Bluffton and were surprised at the immediate demand for the rental. Guests constantly noted there were few if any places to stay in the immediate area, unless you drove to Lima or Findlay. 

So when the c. 1890s church building remained vacant and unsold after months, they started to envision a new use for the building. Jessica said “Why not continue to use it as a sanctuary to serve the community as a place where people could still find peaceful rest, whether they live there or just stay for the night?” And thus, Sanctuary Housing was born with the vision to provide housing that highlights the historic features and values of the church. The business also shows the Meyers’ heart for hospitality and desire to invest in the Bluffton community.

Over two and a half years into the project, four of the planned eight apartments are currently finished – three long-term apartments and one short-term rental, named “The Church Suite on Elm.” All long-term apartments are currently occupied. Each apartment in the 10,000 square foot building is approximately 1,000 square feet of space, with the two upcoming short-term rentals having an additional 500 square feet of loft space.

Doing much of the work themselves, the Meyers are determined to preserve some of the church’s original features and give justice to its historic character. The future short-term rentals will feature vaulted ceilings, showcasing the 1890s timber frame, as well as the original stained-glass windows, and pressed tin ceiling panels. 

In the current short-term rental, the couple preserved the stained-glass windows by cleverly placing them on barn door tracks which slide over the legally required egress windows in each bedroom. This will be repeated on the other side of the building.

Since becoming available in July, the short-term rental is in high demand. Last month, the apartment was only empty four nights. People came from places as far as California, Florida and the Carolinas for family stays, work or special events for Bluffton University, Ohio Northern University or University of Northwest Ohio. The Meyers look forward to drawing more people to the village.

“Bluffton is such a charming and vibrant community, with so much to offer for its size. Our dream is to share our beloved hometown with others, and we hope that people will eventually consider Bluffton as a destination location worth visiting. Especially if they know they have a unique place to stay,” said Jessica.

According to a quick search of Airbnb and VRBO websites, there are currently eight short-term rentals in Bluffton. 

The Meyer family has invested a lot of sweat equity in the church renovation, doing much of the demolition and finish work themselves. Ryan and his two oldest boys, Gibson and Emerson, have put countless hours into the project. Gibson, now 16 years old, has completed all the trim work, accent walls and even some fine cabinetry in the four finished apartments and has most recently built the interior staircases, which will access the future loft spaces. Emerson, 14 years old, installed the tile backsplashes in the four finished kitchens, in addition to helping his dad complete tasks such as hanging doors, painting, installing light fixtures and concrete work. The two boys also cut, welded and painted all the interior and exterior metal railings with the supervision of their grandfather Jon Basinger.  This project is definitely a family affair. 

Ryan and Jessica have six children. The family homeschools in the mornings, then often the boys help their dad in the afternoons. Jessica has acted as the interior designer for the project, giving constant design input, as well as helping Ryan and the boys when she can. She also handles all communications and social media, manages the online bookings and cleans the short-term rental. Homeschooling gives them flexibility as well as guaranteed time together to embark on such a long-term, in-depth project. The family still tries to have dinner together before ferrying kids to various activities. 

When asked how many hours he’s worked on this project, Ryan said, “Too many.” The renovations have been a full-time job, on top of his full-time job and farming.

But their efforts are finally starting to pay off. All three long-term apartments were occupied from the day they were available. 

The “Church Suite on Elm” can sleep up to five people. It offers a full kitchen and many modern amenities.

The couple hopes to have a second short-term rental, “The Chapel Suite,” completed in a couple of months, with the third short-term rental, “The Bell Tower Suite,” finished by summer. These rentals will accommodate more people with the loft spaces. 

The other two long-term apartments should be finished by late 2026 and already have a waiting list.

For more information, visit Sanctuary Housing on Facebook.

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EDITOR'S NOTE: Sanctuary Housing fits in "Bluffton Shuffle" discussions about the domino effect of commercial real estate sales. True Word Tabernacle church is now located at 345 County Line Rd, Bluffton.