New Lift Installed at First Baptist

After many years of praying, discussing, and planning, First Baptist of Wallingford has a new lift installed! This lift allows those with difficulty navigating the stairs between the lower level (Fellowship Hall, Christian Education Wing, bathrooms, kitchen, etc) and the sanctuary with smooth and safe assistance. This was a tremendous team effort from many at FBC – please read the note below from Liz Davis, who headed up the effort to secure the funding and installing of the lift:

The Lift is in and ready to ride and has been a long venture and a rewarding one at that.  The excitement of finally having it finished is a gift from God.  I would like to say thank you to the Committee and others that have helped the process along:  Al Messier, Nick and Debbie Kern, Larry Chatfield, Jim Wood, Mark Davis, Stephanie Sanders, Michele Smith, Tom Oppelt, Jay Jordan, Bill and Ruth Palmer (who had recommended The Bullock Co.), and Pastor Bruce (for giving me spiritual guidance). If I missed anyone, I apologize!

A year and half ago when I took this project on, I said this was going to be a fun and interesting project and that I was going to have an opportunity to work with some different members of the church.  This thought inspired me, Al Messier, and Larry Chatfield (original Lift Committee). I have worked on many projects that were actually bigger than this so my thought was, “OK, I can do this.”

After an exhausting search, finding the Bullock Company was such a blessing. Ruth Palmer had come to me and asked me how it was going.  At that point, I was very frustrated that the amount of lift companies out there were very few, and many of them went out of business. She recommended the Bullock Company, and I met with them and instantly thought The Bullock Company was the right fit. They are family-owned, they were the General Contractor, and they would personally be hands-on with the project.  This meant, we could deal with one person, which by any standard is a good thing.

Once I presented the budget to the Finance Committee, we moved along with getting the architect to come up with a plan, and the Bullock Company was set and on their way. What a blessing to be finally getting started and before the Holidays too.

After the completion of the lift, the Bullock Company finally handed the keys over to us the Friday before Christmas. They were wonderful to work with and communicated with us on a regular daily basis.  I actually spoke with Cliff (the owner) more then I spoke to my husband at times. What a great experience to work with Cliff!

We were also blessed by the gifts that were given as part of this project. We had an Endowment, and a gift from the Memorial Gifts Committee, as well as some personal donations. With these gifts coming in, it provided me with such peace that we were going to be able to come in right on target for the expense of the project, which was yet another blessing. When all is said and done, as of today, we are under budget, again another blessing! We will use that extra money towards maintenance of the lift..

We are now looking for greeters on Sunday to assist those that need to use the lift for services. If you are interested in joining this team of volunteers, you can contact Fred Blakeslee to sign up. To those who have already signed up, thank you!

Liz Davis