Hospitality: Removing Barriers

Connections Newsletter, November, 2011

By Christine Guth, ADNet Program Director, with help from Greg Sommers, Mim Shirk, Steve Post, Scott Wilson, Douglas Kaufman, Chris Zettle, Carolyn and Milford Lyndaker, and Sandra Lapp

Accessibility may seem a relative newcomer to our nation’s agenda, but we at ADNet urge people of faith to think of accessibility as a new name for the very old practice of hospitality.

Beginning with Genesis, our Bible sees hospitality as a given for God’s people. The book of Ruth and the Good Samaritan parable urge us to expand our definitions of those with whom God calls us to share hospitality. Even though religious activities are exempt from the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), access to our buildings and programs is a crucial first step to offering a hospitable welcome to all who might want to be part of the body of Christ.

.

Our Hospitality How-to for this issue is a Pew Cuts Information Brief prepared by the Episcopal Disability Network. Think you know all there is to know about pew cuts? Think again. Download this information brief and share it with those responsible for your congregation’s facilities.

Hats off to those who participated in the hospitality of Christ, as well as the spirit of the ADA, by recently taking steps to make their congregation or organization more hospitable to people with disabilities. Below are a few of the hospitality stories that came to ADNet’s attention. We would be happy to feature your congregation in a future column, so please be in touch.

Click links below for photos and stories or scroll down:

After more than twenty years in second-floor offices with no elevator access, Indiana Michigan Conference moved to accessible ground floor headquarters in late June. 

Conference staff member Greg Sommers describes their decision to move: “The conference offices had been located on the second floor of a historic building in downtown Goshen, Indiana, for more than twenty years. While the space was great, it offered people with mobility issues no alternatives to the long flight of stairs. One visitor pointed out that all the bars on Main Street were accessible, but the conference office was not.

“Conference staff started seriously exploring ways to make the office more accessible in 2010, consulting with disability advocates to brainstorm options. After getting quotes for a chair lift and finding that alternative financially inadvisable, the conference started considering other office spaces.

"The Missional Leadership Team set the criteria for a new space: it should be more accessible, more visible, and more affordable. That process eventually led to our move to the first floor of the Spohn Building, just a few blocks away. Wheelchair users can roll directly into our office suite from the sidewalk. We are deeply grateful to those who encouraged the conference in this move, including an anonymous donor who covered much of the moving costs.”

Back to list

Mennonite Health Services Alliance also moved in late June from second floor offices in downtown Goshen to ground floor offices in the new Everence Financial building. The desire to become accessible to people with disabilities was a significant factor in their move, according to Mim Shirk, MHS Alliance Vice President.

ADNet Board Chair Jim Smith
 visits MHS Alliance offices

An automatic door opener
makes this restroom easily
accessible for those with
mobility impairments

Outside entrance to MHS
Alliance offices

Back to List

After consulting with ADNet’s former executive director Paul Leichty and receiving an accessibility grant from Indiana Michigan Conference, Grand Marais Mennonite Church (Michigan), as of October 2011, completed a new fellowship hall that is barrier free. Pastor Steve Post writes about the vision that motivated their building renovation:

"From the very beginning of the project, the fellowship hall was designed to be accessible to all who wish to come and worship with the congragation. We wanted it to be a place where disabilities will not hinder the ability to be a part of a body of believers.

"Our renovations enabled us to be classified as a community shelter in case of a community-wide emergency. We have a generator that will supply all of the needed electricity for our building, so that heat and food can be provided during an emergency. The new fellowship hall has a kitchen and eating area as well as a place for people to sleep should the emergency last more than a day.

"The basement is considered to be a safe room with reinforced walls and ceiling. It houses supplies from the Medical Reserve Corps that can be used by any community in the Upper Peninsula emergency response network.  Should there be an emergency anywhere in the Upper Peninsula, these medical supplies will be sent where they are needed.

"God has blessed our efforts on behalf of the Grand Marais community and the Upper Peninsula in many ways. We are a very small church averaging twenty to twenty-five people during the winter and thirty to forty people during the summer. The men of the church built the building without anyone getting hurt. We did not have to borrow any money from the bank. We started this project as a debt-free church and we remain debt free to this day. To God be the glory!”

Back to list

Sanctuary at Grand Marais Mennonite

---

Also using an accessibility grant from Indiana Michigan Conference to increase access was Benton Mennonite Church.  Co-pastor Douglas Kaufman reports that the  Goshen, Indiana, congregation celebrated the completion of renovations with an open house August 21. The changes include an ADA lift for three levels, an ADA-compliant restroom, an expanded foyer, and renovated sanctuary.

Back to list

"Our journey began roughly eight years ago. At that time we were without a pastor. We contacted Mark Vincent of Design For Ministry to guide us through challenges we were facing as a congregation.

"One area of concern that emerged was the difficulty our older members had in getting to the basement for fellowship meals and Sunday school classes. Our chair lift intended to offer access to our three levels was in a back stairwell and rarely used.

"Another area of concern was our existing wheelchair ramp. Although sturdy, it was too steep. One of our wheelchair-using members called it a ‘scary’ ride,” as I would help him into the church.

"As the congregation's leadership board looked into options, we undertook an accessibility study. The results were sad, but true: We were not very disability friendly! Nor were we very hospitable to our older attenders. We looked into options of installing an elevator, a new wheelchair ramp, and an accessible restroom. The restroom decision was easy. It was funded and completed in a timely manner.

"The elevator question took much longer. Being an older, rural Mennonite church, we tend to be deliberate in our decision making processes. Providing disability access throughout the building would not be easy, given the layout of the building, not to mention the high cost of an elevator. It was a challenge to know where we could put it that would allow access to all three levels.

"As we explored our options, a vision emerged for a new structure that would house a new kitchen, enable us to host our MCC meat canning project, and facilitate potential outreach through other programs. A capital campaign was launched, and through much prayer, God’s faithfulness, and many sacrificial hours from members of the congregation, the money came in to move forward on a building project. We celebrated the project’s completion and dedication on October 16, 2011.

"We are now fully accessible from one level, with access to our new multi-purpose room, kitchen, and restrooms. We can also enter the pre-existing sanctuary, library, offices, and several classrooms, all with no steps!

"Although we have a nice mix of age groups, it sure is nice to see the older members of the congregation  not struggle getting in and out of church! We continue to look for ways that God can use our new facility for outreach purposes.

"Although the last five years of the building process have been a struggle at times, it is a blessing to see the results of our labors.  Entering the building and getting around inside are easier. We are grateful that people with disabilities and age-related challenges can now come without hindrance and worship the Lord Jesus Christ with us."

Back to List

Crest Hill Community Church (Wardensville, West Virginia) this year put finishing touches on a ramp built a few years ago. Pastors Carolyn and Milford Lyndaker share their congregation’s story:

"We recognized the need for greater accessibility when we had a six-year-old coming to our church who had cerebral palsy and used a wheelchair. We had a wide sloping outside entry with two steps. Until that time we had been able to get people in by lifting them.  However, we began to think it would be more welcoming to have a ramp. We are a small congregation, so all it took was a very short discussion. Four persons volunteered and soon built the ramp, using funds we had on hand. Since that time the ramp benefits a member who uses a cane and others who have difficulty with steps."

Back to list

College Mennonite Church (Goshen, Indiana), already blessed with a fully accessible building, has taken steps to extend hospitality to people who use a visual language. In September they began hosting a monthly worship service in American Sign Language, followed by a carry-in meal. The Deaf Ministry Advisory Committee (DMAC), a local group of Deaf and hearing people is organizing the services. Pastor Phil Harden, a Deaf* man from Church of the Nazarene in Warsaw, and committee members will bring the message.

Sheila Yoder interprets for speaker during weekly worship service

Sheila S. Yoder, member of the DMAC, says: "Deaf people, particularly those who use ASL, have limited opportunities to worship in their own language. To the best of our knowledge, there are no other congregations in Elkhart or LaGrange counties offering a worship service in American Sign Language. The larger church is incomplete when any language group has limited access to worship opportunities. Deaf people have unique gifts and skills to offer the church that will deepen our understanding of God. We, the DMAC, believe God has called us to provide an intentional fellowship to identify and release these gifts!"

In addition, to the ASL worship service, College Mennonite Church began providing Sign Language interpreters during their traditional morning worship each Sunday.

* Deaf persons (with a capital D) have a hearing loss, use a distinct language—American Sign Language (ASL), and identify themselves with a cultural group—North American Deaf Culture. Although Deaf persons may be regarded as disabled by others, they often understand being Deaf as belonging to a cultural minority rather than having a disability. Learn more: ADNotes info sheet on hearing and deafness.

Thanks to Greg Sommers, Mim Shirk, Steve Post, Scott Wilson, Douglas Kaufman, Chris Zettle, Carolyn and Milford Lyndaker, and Sandra Lapp for providing stories and photos.

Back to list