We are (almost) Accessible!

On December 14, 2025 we dedicated our new Accessible Lift marking the end of a forty year journey to make the building accessible to those who have difficulty with stairs. 

Unfortunately, there are still a few construction tweaks required, so the lift is not yet open. Please check back to this website for updates before coming to church and trusting that you'll be able to use it. We are awaiting the final bits of construction to be complete before the lift can be inspected by the TSSA and licensed for use, but we expect it will be a matter of days before we can welcome you into it.

The lift will be licensed only for use by people who have difficulty using stairs. It's not intended for the general public. But if you qualify, contact the Church Office and we'll give you a 4-digit numeric code. With that code you'll be able to enter the building at ground level, and then use the elevator to go upstairs into the Sanctuary area of the church, or downstairs into the basement. There is an accessible washroom on each level.

Dreams of making this building accessible began over forty years ago, with a bequest from a family who are no longer with us. Over the years we've struggled with how to work within the confines of our historic building, and create space that everyone can use. We are grateful to all those who have contributed to the cost (over $200,000 of donations!), and to the Government of Canada who augmented our resources.

For a full description of why we think this was so important to do, and the various things we've done along the way to make this dream a reality, please click the "Read More" button and have a look at the liturgy we used to dedicate the lift

Dedication of our Accesible Lift

December 14, 2025

One:      In this Advent season we prepare for the coming of Jesus,

All:         clearing the cobwebs, removing barriers, getting things ready for the kind of world God calls us to become.

One:      And so we join our voices with all those who have waited on the Lord:

All:         VU-10  Prepare the way of the Lord!

One:      Preparing doesn’t happen quickly or all at once. It takes time, dedication, creativity, resources.

All:         It takes vision to notice what needs to be done, and determination to make the changes that are needed.

One:      Forty years ago, members of Forest Hill noticed how many people simply couldn’t climb the stairs to get into this building. We wanted to be a place of hospitality and gathering for our whole neighbourhood, and the stairs kept people away.

All:         But change is hard, and expensive, and we didn’t know how to welcome them in.

All:         VU-10  Prepare the way of the Lord!

One:      Today we acknowledge all of those who have helped us overcome those obstacles:

All:         Those in the 1980’s who created our “Handicapped Accessibility Fund,” who donated funds even without a plan, in the hope that one day we would discover how to fix the problem that the stairs kept people away.

One:      Those in the 1990’s who renovated the upstairs bathroom in this building, so there was room for a person in a wheel chair, even though the stairs still kept people away.

All:         Those in 2015 who demolished the parking lot stairs, and replaced them with a ramp, even though the stairs still kept people away.

One:      Those in 2017 who built an accessible bathroom in the basement, even though the stairs still kept people away.

All:         Those in 2024 who laboured over architectural drawings and meetings with contractors, and put up with the mess and disruption, even though the stairs still kept people away.

One:      Two government grants that added to our financial resources, and those in the public service who entrust groups like ours with the funds to make these projects possible not just here but across the whole country.

All:         And all who donated monies, faithfully and consistently over decades, to help us be a place of hospitality and welcome, even when the stairs still kept people away.

All:         VU-10 Prepare the way of the Lord!

One:      We acknowledge those who laboured over all the difference phases of this project, and didn’t live to see them come to fruition.

All:         We are grateful for their vision and their legacy.

One:      We acknowledge those who kept this dream alive even when many of us thought it would be too hard, or too expensive, or too disruptive.

All:         We are grateful for their perseverance and their challenge to the rest of us.

All:         VU-10 Prepare the way of the Lord!

One:      The lift is installed. It will be licensed very soon. The waiting – at least on this multi-phased construction project – is almost over.

All:         And so we ask God to bless this work, this achievement, this ministry.

One:      May this church be a home for hospitality, where all are welcome and no one is left behind – even when they can’t climb the stairs.

All:         May this church be a gathering place where no one is barred from entering the doors, and where everyone finds the nourishment and vision they need.

One:      May this lift be one more expression of our witness to the kind of world calls us to become.

All:         May this lift spark new ministries in our church, new and exciting ways for us to prepare the way of the Lord.

One:      Let us together bless all that God has done through us, and through this project, and all that God will do in the future because it is here:

 All:         VU-10 Prepare the way of the Lord!