I try to find new and current information  about UCC Churches doing things around accessibility. It looks like St Paul's United  is doing something  great.

I found in the local Milton newspaper.http://www.miltoncanadianchampion.com/opinions/article/265550

Car owners are often faced with a difficult decision — do I pour more money into repairs or buy a new vehicle?

St. Paul’s United Church is faced with the same dilemma about its building. Our sanctuary, built in the 1890s, needs significant repair and our Christian education wing — dating from 1964 — is woefully inadequate for our needs.

However, an even more fundamental issue has been the focus of debate at St. Paul’s. How do we extend our Christian ministry into the community and beyond?

The conclusion that our membership has reached is that we can’t do so if our entire focus revolves around maintaining our present building. Although we, like most of the town, regret that our historic sanctuary must be dismantled, a majority of our congregation have decided that it’s time to stop pouring money into our aging facility.

We have been reluctant to debate this issue in the press, but we feel that it’s important to fully explain St. Paul’s position. Here are some facts that have helped us to make our decision after almost three years of study and reflection.

Our largest expense after salaries is establishment costs. The cost of maintaining, repairing, cleaning and heating a large space that’s not used to its full capacity is an ongoing drain to our budget. We’re unable to do many Christian outreach projects because so much of our finances are directed toward the building.

And then there’s the cost of repairs. A 2007 report estimated the cost of bringing our building up to basic standards at $1.85 million. This would do little to improve the functionality of our building.

The development proposal to build a seniors’ life-lease residence and a new, smaller church facility will accomplish several things, including:

• It will reduce the cost of maintaining our aging building and free up funds for more extensive and effective Christian outreach.

• The resale of the units will provide St. Paul’s with a continuing revenue stream we can use for further outreach projects.

• A multi-functional space will allow us to have different worship styles and use our building more effectively.

• We will be fully accessible to those with disabilities.

It has always been the intention of St. Paul’s to save as many heritage items as is realistically possible. We have a committee that’s tasked with determining whether the stained-glass windows, organ, bell tower, memorial items, corner stones and other artifacts can be saved and incorporated into the new building.

It’s also our intention to construct an architecturally-pleasing building that will continue to reflect the commitment of the United Church to Milton. We’re empathetic to the concerns that have been expressed by the church’s neighbours.

So when a petition is circulated around town asking for signatures to “save the sanctuary,” the real issue is whether the congregation of St. Paul’s should be busy maintaining a large building that no longer meets our needs or whether we should be fulfilling our Christian calling to carry out the work of the United Church of Canada by reaching out to those who seek God’s love and support.

KATHY SELLERS, CHAIR ST. PAUL’S UNITED CHURCH COUNCIL