St. Matthew’s Accessibility: Going Up

A second-floor meeting room at City Hall was temporarily transformed into a standing-room-only celebration of a religious community — as parishioners of St. Matthew’s Unison Free Will Baptist Church turned out in force to support adding an elevator to make their sanctuary more accessible for the elderly and disabled.

That was the scene Tuesday evening at the latest monthly meeting of the Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA).

Church members showed up to support the church’s application for a zoning variance to help build a long-desired elevator for its building at 400 Dixwell Ave.

In particular, St. Mathew’s sought permission to shrink its front yard to 8 feet, 9 inches from the required 17 feet, and to increase the building lot coverage from the required 30 percent to 31 percent. 

After hearing from more than a dozen people who testified in support, the zoning board unanimously approved the variance.

Pastor Kevin Hardy announced to the Newhallville church last weekend that the church’s zoning-relief petition would be heard at City Hall Tuesday night, and asked members who felt strongly about the elevator to attend. He did not anticipate that 60 people would make the trip downtown to show their support.

“They exceeded all requests and all expectations because I didn’t know whether there was going to be five or 50 people,” Hardy said in an interview with the Independent on Thursday morning. ​“It’s wonderful when a vision becomes a shared vision, and a dream becomes a shared dream.”

As commissioners heard from Hardy and church trustee Naro Lee Jr. on Tuesday, adding an elevator would allow elderly or disabled churchgoers — who currently either have to climb a set of steep stairs or use a long and winding ramp — to attend services without great physical discomfort. It would also allow the church to host more outside community events, including funerals, charity and large meetings. 

But what captivated the room were the more than a dozen parishioners who stood up to share how much the St. Matthew’s community means to them, and the lengths they have to go to attend the services they love.

For Gibson Brown, the sanctuary has been difficult to access since she had back surgery several years ago, a procedure serious enough that doctors encouraged her to move out of her townhouse with stairs. 

“I’m young compared to a lot of the people at St. Matthew’s. I’m 68,” she said told the zoning board.

“86!” Gibson Brown’s daughter corrected from the crowd, prompting laughter.

Regardless of her age, Gibson Brown said that an elevator would be a ​“godsend,” for her and other more elderly churchgoers.

Myles Green rose to testify on behalf of his 98-year-old father, who has been a member of the church for 79 years and has been involved in early planning for the elevator. 

“To have an elevator right now, he will just be so happy, and he’ll know that God still works, and He still works on our behalf,” Green said. ​“An elevator would be a blessing to us all because St. Matthew’s is a growing church with mainly members who are elderly or have disabilities.”

When the commissioners approved the zoning variance — unanimously and without debate — the packed room broke out into cheers, applause, and more than a few hallelujahs. 

In a phone interview with the Independent on Thursday, Lee said that the church is currently selecting a contractor, and plans to have the renovation — which he estimated would cost approximately $200,000 — done by spring. 

During a tour of the church Thursday morning, Hardy pointed out the steep stone steps at the front of the building, as well as the ​“Olympic-sized ramp” currently being used by parishioners on the side. 

He also pointed out the video board mounted above the pulpit and said that the elevator is part of a longer-term project for the church: to ​“enhance the church, enhance the worship, and support the members.”