Two years of hard work,fundraising and loads of paperwork to do came to an end Aug. 12 when the United Church of Cut Knife dedicated their new addition and elevator to God with a church service and a scrumptious potluck lunch afterwards.
Reverend Linda Emberley said that ever since they moved to Cut Knife, she always had the idea of having a lift installed in the church, because it would not only enable the congregation, but also the community and the care home to come to church.It would make the three main areas more accessible to people, seeing that not only the parishioners but also the community of Cut Knife go to the United Church when there is a soup and sandwich or fall supper invitation.
There were the usual worries about the money - it is going to cost too much, how are they going to be able to raise that much money?They tried everything from chairlifts to stair lifts, but nothing seemed to work with the existing building.
In March 2010, they received a letter from Gerry Ritz, offering a grant of $45,000 from the Enabling Accessibility Fund to make the church more accessible to people.When they applied for the grant, they really did not have much hope in being approved, but to their amazement, they got the grant.
Jeanne Gilchrist, the treasurer, had the monstrous task of filling out all the documents for the federal grant.She did a lot of research to develop a business plan, with Bud Weikle drawing up a plan for the new addition, and the wheels were set in motion to make their dream a reality. It was decided at their annual meeting to go ahead and begin the huge task of building the new addition and installingan elevator to make the church more accessible to everybody.
People in the community also donated money in honour of their parents, and people who used to come to the church donated as well.
Work started on the project with plans drawn for the addition, and Weikle, a local contractor, was hired to manage and construct the project. The new addition measured 18 square feet and has three elevator stops: the basement, the main floor and the sanctuary.
Christmas Eve, 2011, Emberley was the first one to use the elevator.There was still some finishing work to be done, but they got the OK to use it.In June of this year, the project was completed and it was met with tremendous excitement and support from thecongregation and the community.
This work would also not have been possible without the financial support and prayer of many people.
Ritz and Larry Doke had been invited to attend the dedication service but, due to prior commitments, they were both unable to come, and congratulated the United Church on this achievement.
